Dattebayo, Taichō!
by Traban16
Summary: "We stand in awe before that which cannot be seen..." Naruto and his friends start something that turns the Ninja World on its head. Welcoming the new Gotei 13, the Konoha Divisions!
1. Enter Kishi and Kubo!

**Summary: After another detention in the Academy, Naruto and his friends go off to the local manga shop for some fun. Trying to get the annoyingly loud brats out, the owner of the shop throws them out with a few comics. After reading a few, Naruto gets the idea to start a game with his friends. When they discover that their game is actually good for their shinobi careers, Naruto hopes to expand the game to more people. Before long, there are more people than just the starting four. And it's become a lot more than just some game…**

 **Chapter 1: Enter Kishi & Kubo!**

* * *

"Damn you brats!" Iruka's voice rang out with fury as he shouted after the four blurs disappearing over the Academy wall. Those four had an hour of detention left to serve, and they had gotten away thanks to an idiotic prank he fallen for. If he weren't wet from the bucket of water, Iruka might have spontaneously combusted from the rage he felt right then and there.

Naruto led the escape with a wide unabashed grin on his face. Iruka, beloved as he was, happened to be a little too trusting to Naruto's ways even after a few years under his belt of dealing with the loudmouth, blond-haired troublemaker. In the span of only thirty seconds, Naruto had set up a bucket of freezing cold water over the slightest crack in the door Iruka had exited from to see who had knocked. Iruka just wished Naruto could use his impressive mind and skills for something other than making others miserable with his childish behavior. The pranks were always something of a conversation starter in the village, but now it was just getting out of hand with how focused Naruto was on planning his next move rather than studying for his next test or training for their next physical exam. If the blue-eyed boy could only put that sort of motivation behind becoming the impressive ninja he thought he was, then Iruka would have gladly been the first under the bucket for a good laugh.

Right at Naruto's heels was Kiba. The boy ran for all he was worth with his dog Akamaru tucked safely into his jacket. Always a glutton for punishment that one, Iruka thought to himself with a shake of his head as his fury deflated. If there was something sneaky to happen, Kiba wouldn't be caught too far away if he were in on it. He liked to be a part of the gang. Or rather, a part of the pack as his clan of dog-oriented ninja would have put it. Running with Naruto was simply a bad choice, but one that Iruka could see Kiba making every time the choice was presented. Kiba was rough around the edges, incapable of being as calm as a normal ninja was supposed to be. So he got in where he fit in, and Naruto welcomed him with abrasively opened arms.

Lagging behind the two balls of abundant energy were Choji and Shikamaru. Truer friends could not be asked for, nor could they be granted as Choji and Shikamaru were the apex. Choji was honest and true, a boy of strong integrity without even knowing it. Iruka had never seen a mean bone in the plump boy's body. Well, other than the angry he displayed whenever someone called him "fat". And that anger only made him want to eat more. It was a vicious cycle, Iruka knew, but one that his clan and parents assured Iruka was not an actual problem within the context of their family. Choji was simply a peach to have around, always treating people, even Naruto, with great respect. Iruka admired the young Akimichi's approachableness, something even he as an Academy teacher didn't have so cultivated yet despite trying. Choji simply was a gentle caring soul that everyone saw, but no one treaded upon. That was not to say he was unfit to become a ninja. In fact, Iruka believed they needed more ninja like Choji to foster openness and kindness with the civilian clientele that came to the village for missions.

And bringing up the rear was the ever laidback Shikamaru. Iruka would have shaken his head again if not for the fact that he knew Shikamaru had the aptitude for shinobi work. He might have been lazy, but the Nara child was startlingly sharp. His analytical skills were the highest among the class. Iruka had once given the boy an intelligence test under the guise of a puzzle. After finishing the puzzle in five minutes flat—a display of intellect that honestly scared Iruka—Shikamaru had grumbled about how troublesome it was for him to be tested with such weak material. The boy had known about the test, taken it, and made Iruka look idiotic with as little effort as he could muster, but was still dissatisfied with the whole affair because he had to expend energy on something he didn't care about in the least. In fact, Shikamaru spent more time trying to avoid tests and spars than anyone else. He could usually talk his way out of them, or at least stall until time had run out. If it weren't such a good tactic for a shinobi to develop, Iruka was sure the boy would have flunked out of classes by now as his grades were almost as abysmal as Naruto's own.

"If I ever get my hands on you," Iruka shook his fist out the window the four students had jumped out from, "I'll be sure to give you brats a good thrashing!"

Naruto grinned to himself. He knew Iruka-sensei would never actually chase after them. He was a lot of things, but a strict disciplinarian the man was not. Iruka was kind and stern, but never overbearingly severe. It was one of the reasons Naruto even paid as much attention to Iruka as he did in the first place. He gave Iruka's words much more regard and attentiveness than anyone else's in the whole village, even more than the Hokage's speeches to him about shinobi ethnic or whatever. Iruka actually cared about him as a person while the Hokage seemed to only care whenever Naruto became a problem. True, he was there whenever Naruto succeeded as well, but Iruka was always there; not just for the wins and losses.

* * *

"He won't be catching us, dattebayo!" Naruto declared proudly, because if any of them knew Iruka best, it was him. "We can stop running once we reach the market street!"

"Hmph," Kiba huffed, not looking winded in the least, "I can go on like this forever!"

"Well, I don't want to," Shikamaru grouched from the back of the group. And Choji nodded his agreement, starting to get a little pink in the cheeks from the dead sprint they were running.

"Ah, you guys are no fun." Kiba threw back, but grinned as he saw Shikamaru roll his eyes.

"I bet we can find some tasty things in the market today." Choji lent his opinion to the conversation.

"Is all you think about only food, Choji?" Naruto asked, despite knowing the answer he would get.

"I sometimes think about my school work."

Not exactly what Naruto thought he would say, but pretty close none the less…

"Speaking of school work…" Shikamaru was back to griping. Naruto kind of wished he had selective hearing at times like these, "My mom's on my back about reading more books and getting familiar with Nara clan history."

"My mom is like that, too!" Kiba said, throwing his hands into the air while Akamaru yipped to show his own agreement, "She wants my written scores to go up. Says that my penmanship looks like crap."

"I have a feeling your mom said a worst word than crap, dattebayo…" Naruto mumbled just loud enough for his friends to hear. They had reached the market district, and everywhere was crowded with vendors and people. Food, books, weapons, and tools were all on display for anyone to buy at costly prices.

"She did," Kiba rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he recalled the rather frank talking-to he had received the other day, "and a lot of other choice words I can't repeat on the street."

"My parents aren't up in arms about my grades," Choji contributed, eyeing a vendor who was selling exotic peppers, "but they aren't exactly thrilled either. They say I can stand to do better."

"Ugh, yeah!" Naruto ran a hand through his messy blond hair, "But with Ino and Sasuke and Sakura and Shino around, we'll never be top of the class! Shika here probably can, but he's just a lazy bum!"

"True…" Shikamaru didn't deny Naruto's words, because the blond would make him put more effort into it than simply agreeing, "But you can start by watching your grammar."

"Oi, my grammar is perfectly functional, dattebayo!"

"I just hope you don't write that verbal tick on your exams as well as all your wrong answers…"

Naruto's face contorted in agitation. He balled up his fists, ready for a tussle with his friend, even if he knew Shikamaru would find some way around the fighting aspect. It was his thing to avoid physical conflict while battering his enemies with verbal barbs. It kept him from wasting effort, and still allowed him to win in a way that mattered to most. Sad to say, but Naruto knew Shikamaru was too smart for him.

That was why he had already put a thin layer of itching powder in the Nara boy's bed already.

"Well, Shika," Choji said, stepping between Naruto and Shikamaru and lowering the blond's fists. Naruto had stopped the group completely as he was ready to brawl on the street in front of everyone around. "If you want your mom to stop harping on you, maybe you shouldn't turn in the tests with the only marks on them being your drool stains."

It was a joke, but also not too far off from the truth. Shikamaru did have a habit of sleeping in class when he felt it wasn't worth his time. This was the exact opposite of Naruto, who fled class and did pranks whenever he didn't feel like being there.

Shikamaru, despite the joke, simply shrugged. "Hn, it's much too troublesome for me to put forth any _real_ effort. If I'm gonna be a ninja, it will happen of its own accord."

Kiba, next to him, gulped as he thought of his mother's reaction to such words, "My mom would beat me black and blue if she thought I wasn't gonna pass the Academy…"

Naruto looked more aggravated than ever now, "If only I could do the stupid Clone technique, then I'd already be a ninja and well on my way to becoming Hokage! Instead, I'm held back and forced to spend my time with you chumps. Except you, Choji. You rock, dattebayo."

Kiba knew Naruto was only kidding around, but it still ticked him off. Naruto had been given two chances now to move on from the Academy level, and Kiba had not been offered even one despite them practically being on the same level. When he had asked his mom about it, all she had done was laugh and snort milk all over the place while guffawing stuff about some woman named Kushina.

"Well," Kiba started, smirking at Naruto with his hands on his hips, "maybe this chump thinks you're not cut out to be a ninja. Just face it, you'll never be able to pass the final exam. You're an idiot, and only people who use their brain for more than finding ramen can become actual ninja."

"Why you dog-faced mutt…" Naruto growled under breath, even as Akamaru barked his offense to being compared to Kiba. Naruto could understand why. Kiba had a face only a mother could love.

Naruto shoved Kiba hard. The boy stumbled, but then struck back with an elbow to Naruto's gut. Naruto bent inward, a bit of wind knocked from his lungs, but not enough apparently as he punched Kiba in the face. Kiba went back, knocking into a fruit stand that was put together a little too shabbily. It tumbled into a heap with all the fresh fruit littering the ground. Kiba was still standing with both him and Naruto staring at the scene before them. The owner of the stand was just noticing the damage they had done as Shikamaru and Choji stirred the two away from the crowded street while everyone's attention was on pilfering the fallen fruit. Even Choji had snagged him a few apples and pears, hastily stuffing them into his once empty kunai pouch.

"I'll never forgive you two!" Choji moaned dramatically, a tear in his eye as he looked back at all the fallen fruit, "Your blatant disrespect of food has gone too far this time! You know how my clan prides itself on munchies!"

Shikamaru, seeing that they were about to pass the local book store, gestured for his friends to follow him inside. When Naruto and Kiba got in, they wasted no time in asking the question he knew their simple minds would form.

"The heck are we doing in here, 'ttebayo?" Hmm, it seemed Naruto was thinking quicker than Kiba today. That meant the blond was most likely up to something. Probably putting itching powder in his next set of clothes again. Shikamaru would be sure that when he got home, he'd have his mom rewash all his sets of clothes just in case.

Probably have his underwear washed again, too… as an extra precaution.

"Yeah, why are we here?" Kiba nodded, speaking in the same hushed tone Naruto did seeing as there were people inside the store who were already looking at them curiously. It was probably because Naruto had pranked them at one point or another. Guy got around town with his kind of hobby.

Shikamaru didn't turn to them, even as he perused through a section of books in the aisle they had come in on. "It's because I wanted you two loudmouths to be quiet for a change."

"Hey," Naruto started, looking vaguely curious, "I have another question. Why is this place called Kishi and Kubo?"

"Oh, oh!" Kiba exclaimed, raising his hand as though they were still in class, "I know this one! I know this one!"

Shikamaru massaged his temples as he could swear Naruto and Kiba were doing things just to annoy him. Choji seemed to understand, placing a hand on Shikamaru's shoulder in a gesture of comfort.

Troublesome friends, the two morons were, but Shikamaru simply couldn't picture life without them…

"This place is called Kishi & Kubo because the two men were very popular writers a long time ago." Kiba explained, sounding supremely smug about knowing something Naruto had no knowledge about. "Years ago, the two writers wanted to share their love of books with the world, so they used their own wealth to build book stores in every major village and trade town.

Naruto looked skeptical of the idea, "Then why didn't they just put their books in library, dattebayo?"

Shikamaru and Choji turned back to help Kiba give Naruto the deadpan look such a question deserved.

"Naruto, don't be stupid." Shikamaru shook his head, "You can't honestly believe that fantasy and fiction belong in a library. People go to the library for serious research and study, not to lounge around reading comic books all day."

Kiba's grin threatened to split his face in two. "Yeah, you dope! And have you ever been to a library?" Kiba looked down his nose at Naruto, but since they were currently about the same height, it was incredibly hard. "Or do you just get strange headaches walking past the one in the Academy?"

Naruto felt the blood in his ears as his face contorted with rage. He knew he wasn't the sharpest kunai in the pouch, but he wasn't a complete idiot despite what others went around saying. He made furious moves toward Kiba, tackling the boy into the bookshelf behind them as he punched him across the face. Kiba would forgive him later, but for now Naruto was gonna get in his shots while he could. Kiba was also fighting back, his fists burying themselves in Naruto's stomach and chest while Naruto himself went straight for the face. He and Kiba were good friends despite their almost constant bickering and brawling. It was just the way they were. They had no other outlets for their frustrations other than fighting.

And who better to fight than someone you could go have ramen with the very next minute?

Kiba's mom would be proud of any bruises and black eyes he went home with, seeing them as a sign of him not being a wimp who backed down from a fist fight. She's clap him on the back and ask who he fought. He'd tell her it was Naruto, and then she'd boom her great laughter and ask if he got in any good shots. The two would bond over the ruffling of fur, and then they've have dinner after getting Kiba cleaned up.

No one would care about Naruto's injuries except maybe Iruka, who would chalk it up to Naruto's punk attitude. He'd give Naruto some first aid stuff, but Naruto would be sent to bandage his own wounds like a ninja was supposed to. The whole issue wouldn't even be talked about until they went for ramen some time later where Iruka would talk about whatever bothered him throughout the week.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed heavily as the bookshelf went tumbling over with a resounding crash. All eyes in the store were now on the two idiots who were rolling around on the floor, trying their damnedest to make Shikamaru's life as difficult as possible today. First a fruit stand, and now they were pulling this crap. Although, if Shikamaru were to be fair, Kiba had kind of pushed Naruto too far with that last comment. They all knew that one of Naruto's most sensitive buttons was how people perceived him, especially in regards to his intellect. Naruto was a lot smarter than most people thought, but he wanted them to see him the way he saw himself. His pranks and general disrespectful nature didn't help in anyway, but Naruto was convinced that if people didn't see him as an awesome ninja, they would see him as an amazing prankster. Shikamaru didn't understand Naruto's obsession with garnering attention, but so long as his friend continued to go out of his way to do the outlandish, then no one would ask Shikamaru to do it himself.

"Hey, you brats! Cut that out! You're tearing apart my store!" Shikamaru jumped and so did Choji, both so consumed with their friends throwing punches at each other that they failed to pay attention to the manager sneaking up on them.

The next moment saw the man move past Shikamaru and Choji as he grabbed Naruto and Kiba by their collars, pulling them a part. He glared at one, then the other. They had destroyed the shelf with all the newest comics on it, and it would take all day to get it put back together. His whole schedule would be thrown off track!

"OUT!" he shouted the one word, and without another thing said the man opened the door to his store. First he tossed Naruto out on the street before doing the same to Kiba, who landed squarely on Naruto. Shikamaru and Choji quickly followed, both indignant that they had been thrown on the street when they hadn't done anything at all. "All of you little terrors are banned from this store! If I catch any of you brats snooping around here again, I'll tan your hides!"

"How dare you man!?" Kiba yelled in outrage, "My name is Kiba Inuzuka, son of Tsume Inuzuka of the Inuzuka clan! You can't just treat me any kind of way!"

"Yeah, dattebayo!" Naruto agreed, "And I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage of the village! Show some respect!"

"I don't care if you're the King and Queen of England!" the store manager snapped back, drawing attention to himself and the scene in front his store, "You come near here again, even the Five Great Daimyo wouldn't be able to save you!"

People were now paying attention as whispers went out from person to person. They were all watching the scene unfold now, and a sudden smirk appeared on Naruto's face. After all, a real ninja knew when to use tact and cunning to turn a situation to their own advantage. Kiba must have caught on to the idea as well, as he saw Naruto's grin and gained one of his own. In unison they both reddened their faces and strained their eyes in order to make them produce fake tears. Naruto hiccupped once, mustering all the proper emotions he could while keeping his wits about him. This would be a great prank for the day, and he even had Kiba's help along with it. Naruto hiccupped again, the tears now spilling down onto his cheeks.

The store manager seemed shocked at the act in front of him, and so did the crowd now gathered around the store to see what was going on. A great collective gasp went through the crowd as the two young ninja students cried out loud and began to wail like newborn babes. The store manager was left standing in front of his store, looking utterly confused. He was staring, apparently terrified, at the disapproving stares of the crowded adults that were now fully involved in the situation.

"No, please don't ban us, sir!" Naruto shrieked, his young body trembling like a starved calf. "No, please! We were only trying to read, sir! Pl-Please let us r-read!"

"Please, sir, please!" Kiba wailed, thick tears falling from his face as he crawled forward, on his knees, to plead with the man. "This is the only book store in the village my mommy lets me visit with my friends! Please don't stop us from reading the books, sir! We'll do anything!"

"I can't believe what I'm seeing here?" a high girlish voice came from the crowd, sounding horrified. Shikamaru and Choji looked at one another before they too put on their best crybaby faces.

"I can't believe a store manager could be so incapable of showing kindness to children…" another voice muttered aloud, and several folks in the crowd shook their heads.

"They were breaking stuff…" the store man offered weakly, unnerved by the amount of attention he suddenly found himself and his actions under. "They broke a bookcase…"

"We were only trying to reach the really nice books on the high shelf!" Naruto cried, this time blubbering as though he were five again. "We didn't mean to break it! It was just so tall!" Oh yeah, play on the fact that they weren't just kids, but short kids at that. True, he wasn't too short from what he was supposed to be at the age of eight, but it was still noticeable.

"You can't do that to kids!" that had to be a mother who howled at the back of the crowd, shoving her way forward to make herself known. By now all four of the boys were together, Shikamaru and Choji standing while Naruto and Kiba were still on the ground. All of them with tears streaming down their faces.

The crowd watched as Naruto, the amazing actor that he was, sunk further onto the ground as he began sobbing uncontrollably into the dirt. He shuddered and moaned, rocking backward and forward on his knees in paroxysms of grief. The mother from before had broken away from the spectators, marched straight up to the child and after a moment's hesitation, held Naruto in her arms despite her expression of disgust. Instead she directed it to the store manager, who was looking as white as a ghost in that moment.

The people hated him more than the fox brat right then? How could that even be?

The mother patted Naruto firmly on his back while withdrawing a large handkerchief from within her robes. "There, there, son… Calm down… Blow your nose on this… It's not as bad as you think." She made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat as the crowd shared her glare on the man they now hated. "We can always find _better_ stores for you boys to read in."

This simply was not happening! He was gonna be fired. These brats were going to get him _fired_!

"Yeah," another woman from the crowd agreed, "If the kids want to better themselves by reading, especially the blond brat," Naruto felt offended by that comment, but let it slide as the mother gripped him tightly, "then who are you to stop them? They were only trying to read some comics from your crappy store! Shame on you, sir!"

The others in the crowd nodded and began voicing their agreement. This was bad. No, this was beyond bad.

This was a nightmare.

The store man stepped backward looking to the crowd for any support, any witnesses to the boys breaking up his store.

There were none.

He looked around, completely lost. He staggered back into the door of his store, thoroughly bewildered by how the whole affair had shifted on him so suddenly and largely.

There was only one way to save himself now.

"One moment," he muttered in a tiny voice, and in a moment, had disappeared into the store only to reappear with a large box which he promptly threw at the feet of Naruto and the mother holding him. The woman leapt to her feet as the box hit the ground, dropping Naruto, and making him fall back into the dirt. Seeing, however, that it was just a box, the woman collected herself and began brushing the dirt from her robes.

"Perhaps I was a bit too hasty," the store manager admitted despite how much he didn't want to. "Please, boys, take this box of books as a token of my apology. And you're welcome to it. Free of charge, as well! Just… be more careful in the store next time, please."

With that taken care of, the store manager slipped back inside his business and changed his sign from "Open" to "Closed" faster than Naruto could have said, "Dattebayo?"

This left the crowd to attend to the four boys, all of whom were drying their tears and looking as though they had been consulted by the box in front of them.

"What'd think is inside it?" one of the men at the front of the crowd asked, to which the man next to him shrugged with a hapless expression on his face.

"I don't know… Books, I guess…"

"Idiot!" the first man roared, startling the crowd, "I know its books, but what books. Boys, does it say anywhere on it of what might be inside?"

Naruto inspect one side while his friends all took the other three faces of the box.

"Nothing written on it, gramps." Naruto said, making the man twitch in annoyance at the disrespect. "We'll need to open it."

Kiba, who was already trying to pry the box apart with his bare hands gave a stubborn look since it would not open for him. "Fat chance of that happening. Its sealed pretty darn tight."

Shikamaru turned and inspected the crowd, "Anyone here got a box-cutter?"

"Oh, I have this!" and with that Naruto produced a kunai knife. It was starting to rust and the blade was chipped, but Naruto gave it a look of pride. "I've had it since my first day in the Academy, dattebayo!"

"Well," the mother who had held him snapped impatiently, tapping her foot with her hands on her hips, "Don't just leave us in suspense, brat! Open the box!"

Now that the moment had passed, everyone remembered just who young Naruto was and did not admonish the mother for the way she spoke to him. It was partly a taste of his own medicine.

Naruto ignored her as he took his own sweet time working the kunai's sharp edge through the seal on the box. It was tougher than he expected, but he still managed to get it done.

All the crowd inched that much closer as Choji and Shikamaru opened the box's top wide for their inspection.

And all at once, the crowd's faces fell instantly as they saw what was inside.

"Hmph, a bunch of trash…"

"That sneaky manager gave those poor boys such outdated reading material…"

"How distasteful…"

"Bunch of old garbage…"

Naruto looked around as the crowd started to thin, apparently they were disappointed with the contents of the box and saw no more reason to hang around. Everyone slowly went back to their daily lives almost as if nothing had happened.

"Why is everyone so upset now?" Choji asked, scratching the back of his head as he pulled the first book from the box.

It was entitled, " _ **The Deathberry, Volume 1: Hail to the Strawberry**_ ". On the cover was a ginger-haired boy with a stern heroic look as he wielded a massive sword in a black shihakushō. The caption underneath read, " _The moment the boy took the sword in his hand, everyday life announced its end_ -!"

"That junk in your hands is the Deathberry series made over fifty years ago by Kubo Tite," one of the adults answered in passing, "It was his crowning achievement, but it was really dated for its time. The ending was just rushed, convoluted, and really unimpressive."

A young lady also put forth her own two cents on the subject, "Those books didn't even hold a candle to his grandson's series called Taijustu's Strongest Disciple. Now that was a great comic series that holds up. I'm gonna go home and read my collection again!"

Not one to be deterred, Naruto took the book gingerly from Choji and gave it consideration. It couldn't possibly be as bad as the people were making it out to be. Maybe it just needed a fresh perspective from their generation of young readers. Glancing up at his friends, who were now taking books from the crate and giving each cover tentative looks, Naruto reluctantly and nervously opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey, 'ttebayo…" Naruto said, his smile wide and painted on his face, "Do ya maybe… Wanna come over to my place to see if these are any good?"

It was a shot in the dark, but Naruto would feel bad the rest of the week if he didn't take the chance. Kiba, Shikamaru, and Choji were true pals. And more than that, they were Naruto's only friends at all. Half the time they didn't bother with him because he was always causing trouble, but on days like this, Naruto wanted to extend what time they had together.

He had just never invited anyone, much less clan heirs, into his apartment before. The only people who had ever seen the inside of his place were Iruka and Old Man Hokage.

Instead of looking at his friends' expression and waiting for their answers, Naruto riffled through the box until he picked up a random volume.

Huh, this guy on the front cover of Volume 30 kind of looked like him… Well, except for the black hair. But the carefree grin and casual pose were almost exact replicas of his own mannerisms.

"Yeah sure," Shikamaru agreed lazily, putting Volume 16 back where it belonged amongst the pile. "It'll be a lot less troublesome if we bring this stuff to your place than any of ours."

"You've got a point there, Shika," Kiba said, even as he reluctantly put back Volume 34 of the series. His mom would never let him hear the end of it if he showed up with books that had half naked women on the front covers. She would tease him relentless about it until he found himself a wife.

Choji agreed as well as he replaced Volume 5 back into the box and closed it. "That settles it! Let's go to Naruto's house!"

Naruto smiled, glad that his friends weren't making things awkward for him.

"I hope you have snacks. I'm kind of hungry now that I think about it…"

On second thought, they could go straight home. Naruto liked his friends, but he liked his food even more.

But with that thought safely tucked away, Naruto helped Kiba lift the heavy box of comic books and began leading the journey to his apartment complex on the other side of town.

And the instant that happened, the ninja world announced an end to the everyday lives of its citizens!

* * *

 **I hope everyone has enjoyed the beginning to my newest attempt at a Naruto with "Bleach"-influence story.**

 **I know I've been gone for a while now, but I'm here to stay now! Long live the FanFiction!**

 **The next chapter is already written and edited. It will be posted a week or so from now. Maybe sooner if people want it...**

 **If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to leave them in a REVIEW or to PM me directly!**

 **If you have any ideas for the story or anything of the like, please REVIEW or PM me directly.**

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 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	2. Naruto's Groovy Soul Palace

**How's all the party-people doing today?! Here's another chapter to this groovy story, so I hope everyone likes it!**

 **Chapter 2: Naruto's Groovy Soul Palace**

* * *

Despite the fact that Naruto spent every waking moment of life vying for the smallest amount of respect and attention…

Well, in this moment, he felt he could do well without it…

The past few minutes had gone by with him hoping desperately that his friends would not make a big deal out of where he lived. But as they passed alleyways and stray cats while lugging the heavy box of comics they had gotten free from the local bookstore manager, Naruto felt distinctly awkward as they set off down another alleyway to get to his apartment complex the quickest. He had never had a proper conversation with his friends about where he lived, or even how he lived. They knew he lived alone, without parents, and that Iruka visited him on occasion with the idea being that they went out to eat.

Now they were simply filled with questions.

"How big is your apartment?"

"Do they allow pets?"

"Ruff, ruff!"

"How big is your fridge?"

"Do you have a terrace?"

"Are there any junkyard dogs around? My clan is looking for strays."

"Is it close to any grocery stores I might know? I know them all."

"Can you see the sky well, or even sun bath if you wanted?"

Each question was more awkward than the last, and all Naruto wanted to do was curl up in a ball and disappear. Instead, he fumbled for answers to every question they threw his way, trying to recall this and that in order to stay on cue with their constant bombardment.

When at last they finally did stop asking questions, the three boys began to take notice of where Naruto was leading them. Kiba looked as though he were right at home with the cats that hissed his way only for Akamaru to bark at them, scaring more out of hiding as it was rare for any dogs to be around. Choji appeared aware of Naruto's heightened sense of embarrassment. Shikamaru was vaguely disgusted one moment as they shuffled around a puddle of water dripping from a loose sewage pipe, but other than that he was completely relaxed the rest of the way.

"Geez, Naruto," Kiba said briskly, "I hope your apartment is better than the alleys you keep leading us through. We are going to an apartment, right? Not the nest of the rat king?"

"Shut the hell up, dattebayo!" Naruto said, not bothering to watch his language as they were now on his turf, where people rarely visited unless they were a ninja or really desperate. "My apartment kicks ass!"

"Yeah, but you are leading us the right way… right?" Shikamaru felt the need to ask, because Naruto was not known for his sense of direction.

"I know the way to my place like the back of my hand, Shika." Naruto said brightly, "Give me a little credit, why don't ya."

"All we're saying is if there's an attack," Kiba began, his smirk showing he meant no offense, "we as students of the Academy have permission to kick ass."

"This is my turf," Naruto declared, shuffling the box in his hands as he wanted to point to the sky, "No one is gonna mess with us here! Believe it, dattebayo!"

"…Please stop… Just… please…"

* * *

When at last they arrived at Naruto's apartment, Kiba was sucking in great gulps of air as he allowed his arms to go limp. The box dropped to the ground, Naruto jumping away from it so it wouldn't land on his feet. The progress had been slow due to the weight of the box and Naruto having to lead the way, but now that they were there, Naruto was sure Shikamaru had already memorized the path they took to figure out where they were in retrospective to his own house from some other location.

Now the boys stood in a deserted district square, in the center of which sat a vacant lot with a few benches off to the sides of where Naruto's apartment complex jutted out like an enormous obstruction to the eye. It appeared only moderately rundown, as though the repairs to the building had been made hastily and with the least amount of effort. Naruto stood ready to continue, rubbing his reddened hands together as though they had been left back at the bookstore.

"I think I might have preferred the alleys to this piece of crap." Kiba, too, it seemed had abandoned his language filter.

"Hey, my apartment is great! You haven't even been inside yet!" Naruto was not bothering to control the volume of his voice either. That meant there was no one to be disturbed by his loud obnoxious vocals.

Choji smiled as he drew closer to the apartment, "We'll have to see the place then. Come on!" He set off at a brisk pace, strolling past the empty courtyard with Shikamaru at his heels.

"Wa-Wait, dattebayo!" Naruto said as he hustled with Kiba to get the box and make his way up to the apartment first.

They were nearing the apartment building that housed Naruto. Climbing the shabby steps all the way to the top floor was a chore, but seeing the small, neat stone garden housed on the terrace of the penthouse apartment was just curious enough to make the whole trip worthwhile.

At his friends' inquisitive looks, Naruto sheepishly smiled.

"What? I like gardening."

"I would have never guessed," Shikamaru commented, more to himself than any of them. It struck him that Naruto truly was more than met the eye, even more so than he himself had given the blond credit for. Shikamaru was too busy digesting the idea of seeing Naruto taking care of fragile and fickle plants to have much attention left for anything else.

"Oww, crap!" Kiba yelled in pain, grasping his foot as they reached the front door to what had to be Naruto's dwelling. He had probably kicked the door, and from the smug look on Naruto's face, the blond had let him.

"What?" Naruto asked as he saw the look on Shikamaru's face. It was annoyed and bored, something that told Naruto he was being entirely too childish. "He threatened to kick the door down. I gave him a chance. It's not my fault he didn't know its lined with metal, dattebayo."

Shikamaru continued to stare at him unabashed.

"Oh man," Choji said, concerned for Kiba, "are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be just fine." Kiba said, the throbbing in his face more painful from his fight with Naruto than the pain in his foot. He half expected the door to be hanging off its hinges, but looking up he saw that he had barely even left shoe scuff on the front. "I'm gonna have to clean that off, aren't I?"

"Yup!" Naruto chirped happily, then gained an apprehensive look.

"Mind explaining exactly why your front door is reinforced with metal, Uzumaki?" Shikamaru inquired with an arched eyebrow pointed directly at Naruto. Naruto tried to offer a casual shrug, but it was a little to mechanic to seem natural for the easy-going blond's normal habits.

"It kind used to be a bad neighborhood when I was growing up, ya know." The way he was saying this was just a little too casual, Shikamaru thought to himself. Almost as if he didn't want them to pay his words much heed. The Nara clan boy narrowed his eyes on Naruto's back. The blond was fumbling for his house key, which was strange seeing as how when he finally got it out it was the only key on the ring.

"Right…" it appeared as though Kiba had noticed Naruto's glossing over facts as well, and by the worried look Choji was shooting Naruto's back, even he had taken notice too.

"It's a lot better now, dattebayo." This sounded more like the natural Naruto they knew, "Almost everyone else has… moved away… For good…"

Shikamaru glanced away, as did Kiba and Choji. They weren't touching that somber statement with a kunai knife if they could help it. They half-knew Naruto lived on his own, but to be isolated in this area with only the occasional person and a little garden as company was far more depressing than any of the children wanted to deal with at the moment.

"Argh! Come on, man!" Kiba yelled, shoving Naruto to get him out of his present funk. "Help with this damn box already! Geez, I think I got a frickin' splinter or something…"

"I am helping, dirty mutt!" Naruto responded, and Shikamaru gave a sigh of long suffering.

"Just because we're out of ear shot from adults doesn't mean the two of you have to lose all your filters…" the Nara muttered as he entered the apartment behind the two carrying their loot.

"It would only make sense that someone like Naruto use colorful language." Choji shrugged, a gentle smile on his plump face, "Ya know, given the fact that he runs around the village in an orange jumpsuit."

"Hey! What's wrong with the way I dress, dattebayo!?"

"Everything, Naruto… Just everything…"

Glancing around the apartment as they entered, each of the boys would have made their Academy instructors very proud with their observational skills. From the doorway they had stepped directly into a tiny sitting room, which had the feeling of a warm, open environment despite its small space. A soft-looking, yet worn-out threadbare sofa rested in front of a junky television set with an old armchair off to one side, and a tattered welcome rug under the boys' feet. Beyond that and to their right was Naruto's kitchen, which too was small and completely covered in shelves and cabinets, most of them shut tight in worn brown wood or replaced white painted doors. The rickety dining table was tiny and looked comfortable enough for only two people sitting opposite each other. The hallway was just as tiny, with barely enough finger space between the bathroom and the hall closet while Naruto's bedroom door rested opposite the two at the end of the hall.

Overall, despite the size of his apartment, there was an overflow of warm reception to the place that genuinely made Kiba, Shikamaru, and even Choji falter for a second before they quickly collected themselves less they make a scene. Even if they were bathed in poor dim lighting, as though cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling instead of an actual lightbulb, the place had an air of care and in every inch showed it was usually inhabited by one Naruto Uzumaki.

"Don't look so surprised, 'bayo…" Naruto scoffed, his arms crossed and held his chin high. Choji moved pass him in order to get a better look into the kitchen. He really wanted some snacks now.

"Sorry we can't control our reaction," Shikamaru fired back lazily, "but if you acted half as civilized as this apartment suggests—"

"And not like some common stray raised in the backwoods!" Kiba barked, but no one paid him any attention.

"—then people would treat you better, and maybe you'd have more friends." Shikamaru finished as though nothing had interrupted him.

Naruto gave his friend the stink eye, scowling his best even while he privately admitted to himself that he did come off a little rough around the edges to others, even complete strangers. He could probably dial the attitude down a bit…

"Dattebayo! I don't need friends if all they do is criticize me!" he said instead of what was going through his head at the moment. It wouldn't do well to give Shikamaru the satisfaction of knowing he was right. They both knew, mind you, but admitting it aloud would give the Nara a smug look that wouldn't go away for at least an hour or two.

Choji came up from where he was peeking into Naruto's kitchen only to slap the blond roughly on the back with a hefty laugh, "Ah, come on Naruto! Us misfits gotta stick together, right?"

Then a look overcame Choji's face, "Kind of makes me wonder if we should invite Shino to hang out with us…"

However, no one said anything as they all had the image of Shino standing with them inside Naruto's apartment. They could just image his dark shades revealing nothing of the boy behind them only for his gaze to pierce all of them. Then there would be the awkward talk about bugs collections and logic that the Aburame boy was playground famous for.

"Mah, mah," Naruto quickly recollected himself, waving a hand dismissively, "Shino is probably busy, 'ttebayo. Guy like him seems to always have something important to take care of. He's a practical one."

"Not to mention how creepy the guy is…" Kiba grumbled, but didn't want to offend. They all knew Shino would be a great comrade when they finally became ninja. However, they would be just fine to keep him as a classmate instead of friend for the moment.

"Well let's open this up, and get a better peek of what's inside." Kiba turned on heel and laid a hand on the crate of books.

The others gathered around the crate with him, and Naruto once again produced the rusted kunai he kept with him at all times. He used the ninja knife to prop open the box, moving in tandem with Kiba as the two heaved the top out of the way and carried it over to a wall to sit against. Shikamaru and Choji were busy throwing out volumes of manga as they went through the box in order to see exactly how many books they had gotten.

"There must be over a hundred books in here." Shikamaru muttered, but was sure the others heard him as he picked up yet another volume before passing it on to Naruto who was now at his side. Kiba joined Choji on the other end of the box as they tried to sort the volumes into order. "That guy must have just been looking for a reason to clear these away."

"No kidding," Naruto easily agreed, taking a hold of Volume 70 before tossing it over to Kiba. "Kinda makes you wonder what was so bad if this series managed to make it so far. That old geezer and the woman said it ended really poorly, dattebayo."

"We'll just have to read to find out if that was true." Choji said, turning around as he picked up Volume 1 and handed it to Naruto, who looked stricken. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah!" Naruto shouted hysterically, "Why the hell are you handing it to me, 'bayo!?"

"Well this is your apartment, so…" Shikamaru drawled with an unimpressed look. Silly he might be, but dummy Naruto was not. He could read just as well as any of them.

Naruto snatched the book with a grumble, "Fine, you bastards. Make me do all the work after inviting you into my lovely home."

Choji smiled brightly, "And do you have any snacks, dude?"

"Eat the fruit in your pouch, dattebayo!" Naruto snapped comically at his hefty friend.

Opening the first volume to the appropriate page, Naruto cleared his throat and began earnestly. If he were going to read this, he was at least going to make them feel bad by putting them to shame with his amazing public speaking skills.

* * *

 **Deathberry #1: Strawberry and the Soul Reapers**

 **We fear that which cannot be seen…**

" _ **Hey, my name is Ichigo Kurosaki. And for as long as I've known, I could see spirits of the dearly departed**_ …"

* * *

Kiba interrupted as Naruto was leaning back for Choji to see the illustrations properly.

"Just what the hell does that mean?" he barked, looking around himself for ghosts.

His behavior was thoroughly ignored, even by Akamaru who was more engrossed in the story at the mention of spirits for one reason or another.

Naruto continued to read the manga as it opened before them, ensnaring their senses as they saw before their eyes Ichigo fighting street hooligans and talking to the spirit of the little girl.

Then they made it to the scene where Ichigo's father kicked him in the face as a form of greeting.

"Hey!" Kiba exclaimed with a toothy smile on his face, "My mom welcomes me home like that, too, sometimes! I knew I wasn't the only one! Ami had me thinkin' my family was crazy or something…"

Naruto gave his friend a deadpan look, "Kiba, I worry about you sometimes, 'ttebayo…"

Shikamaru gave a sigh at all the interruptions, "Can we please just get through this volume with no more pauses?"

The others exchanged looks before nodding, and they all once again became engrossed with the world of _Deathberry._

* * *

It had only been a couple of hours since the four young shinobi students had begun their adventure into the manga of one Kubo Tite, but none of them could say they were disappointed so far.

In fact, they were _far_ from it.

 _DEATHBERRY_ was awesome!

"NO WAY! I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT JUST HAPPENED, DATTEBAYO!"

"HE WAS THE BAD GUY ALL ALONG?! HOW? HE WAS SO NICE!"

"That was just… that was… _wow_ …"

"How could he just join the enemy like that…? It makes no sense…"

The four were in complete shock as Volume 20 slipped from Shikamaru's lax grip. It was an unbelievable conclusion to an unimaginable first story arc. The characters were all distinct and lively, the settings were breathtaking in their differences from that of Konoha, and the story itself was amazing as it took the four boys on a journey they never saw coming from where they started on the first book.

"Aizen was so insanely powerful!" Kiba exclaimed with a look of awe on his face. Akamaru gave a bark of agreement next to him, the ninja dog's tail wagging excitedly.

"He beat three Bankai with barely any effort!" Choji joined in on the conversation, "Defeating someone like Toshiro Hitsugaya, I could see coming a mile away. The guy let his emotions run away from him, and he paid the price; child prodigy or not."

"Ichigo was understandable, too, especially after the fight he had finished against Byakuya Kuchiki. Ichigo is just lucky to be alive." Shikamaru agreed with a nod of his head.

"But that Captain Komamura looked like he had Aizen for a moment there." Kiba broke back in, dimly aware that Naruto had disappeared for the moment. He probably went to the bathroom. "I guess none of them stood a chance… What with being under his illusions and all…"

"Speaking of just that," Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, "While it's obvious they aren't ninja, and therefore can't break genjutsu like those that the Aizen guy's zanpakutō produces, is it really safe to assume Aizen didn't hypnotize Ichigo while fighting him?"

"That's a good point, Shika," Choji scratched under his own chin in thought, "But I think it _is_ safe to assume. Ichigo didn't witness any special flashes of light, or anything. The only time Aizen drew his sword against Ichigo was to try and cut him in half. Ichigo barely had time to be shocked that Aizen stopped him with a hand… no, with a _finger_! The Strawberry just didn't have the time to be hypnotized because Aizen took him out of the fight so quickly."

"That's true," Shikamaru sighed, rubbing his fingers through his hair and massaging his scalp. Naruto came back into the sitting room, drying his hands with a small towel as he looked beyond his friends to his front door. The others turned to him, but then had to turn back to the front door as a steady knock came to it.

"I'll get it." Naruto said when he saw Choji rise from the threadbare rug in the sitting room to be a good guest. However, Naruto wasn't stupid. There were only enough people to count on one hand that would show up to his door, even less that would have the manners to knock first.

* * *

At the door stood Shikamaru's father, Shikaku Nara.

No matter where Naruto saw Shikaku Nara around the village, the first thing he always noticed about the man were the two face scars he possessed on the right side of his face. They were deep and drew the eye even more easily than Naruto's own orange jumpsuit. There were times where Naruto believed scars like those would get people's attention, and even perhaps generate some respect for him. However, he knew in his heart that it would be useless without the years of shinobi career to bolster such respect.

Just like his son, Shikaku had dark hair tied up into a spiky ponytail. His dark eyes flicked with interest as they landed on the books scattered around them and the open crate off to the side.

Shikaku gave a sigh as he greeted Naruto neutrally and entered the apartment when Naruto invited him inside. Honestly he had nothing against the kid, but also didn't want any headaches by having him around too often. Luckily it seemed Shikamaru grew up to be just like him, and never invited the blond over to their house much. Listening to his son explain himself, because they apparently hadn't even realized how the sun was setting, Shikaku began to stroke his goatee. With his ear rings glinting in the dimly lit room, Shikaku thought about what to do with this new level of friendship between the four boys. Never before had he heard anything of Naruto inviting Shikamaru or the others into his apartment, and maybe that was a good thing. The people had only begun to simmer down in the past few years as Naruto grew older. This new level of trust was not unwelcome, but it did warrant curiosity. Further observation was required.

He was well aware that they were all deadlasts in their year, but that didn't matter much to him. Each would grow into competent shinobi when under the tutelage of a Jonin-sensei for individualistic training. So for now Shikaku was content to let them play and be children.

And that was why he decided to allow the boys to sleep over at Naruto's apartment.

Well, that and because he was supposed to be bringing them all to his house, but didn't want the headache of four prepubescent boys running around or talking loud in his home. He loved them all, even held a special liking for Naruto, but there was no way in hell he was gonna invite that kind of chaos into his house when he could just as easily avoid it.

So, with that in mind, Shikaku left them with a surplus of pillows and blankets before disappearing just as Naruto realized that the old fart was dumping his problems into his blond lap.

That deer-herding bastard!

"Grr…" Naruto growled, annoyed that Shika's dad was so much like him, it was scary. "Oh well, at least now we can finally—"

Naruto didn't get a chance to finish as he moved his head out of the way of a slash aimed to take off his noggin.

"What the hell?" Naruto blurted out as he blinked in confusion, only to find a wooden broom stick pointed in his face courtesy of Kiba Inuzuka.

"Kaien…" Kiba snarled, "Why did you fight that Hollow alone? Why were you so damn stubborn? I, Renji Abarai, will put an end to your hard-headedness by beating it outta ya!"

Catching on to the game Kiba was playing at, Naruto rolled to the side and reached under the sofa for the old lead pipe he kept around as a safety precaution. "You're one to talk, Abarai. Going off to fight that jerk Byakuya was an even dumber move. At least I stood a chance against the Hollow before it used its stupid unforeseen special ability. How stupid were you to forget that someone like Captain Kuchiki possessed Bankai as well?"

Kiba's eyes narrowed, but the smirk on his face was all in good fun. He ran at Naruto, and the two clashed. "I'm gonna make you eat those words, Shiba."

"Bring it, Abarai." Naruto goaded, and the two fought.

Shikamaru and Choji watched the two bang around the apartment for a bit, jumping on and off the sofa while avoiding each other. They both managed to score a few hits, but were too inexperienced with sword-like weapons to do any real damage. Akamaru barked at them a few times, growing worried that his partner might actually get hurt.

Shikamaru turned to Choji, who was watching Kiba and Naruto fight with great care. "Should we step in, or something?"

Choji shook his head, his eyes gaining a trace of stern resolve, "No."

Choji turned to Shikamaru and stared hard at him for a moment before going back to watching Naruto corner Kiba, who was preparing to dodge Naruto's finishing attack. "Listen very carefully to my words, Shikamaru. There are two types of fights in this world. Whenever we are in battle, we must be one of the two. The fight for life or…the fight for pride! Right now…Kaien is fighting for his pride! His wife's pride…his men's pride…Most importantly…his own personal pride. Dismiss this as his stubbornness…and let him fight alone like this."

Shikamaru smirked as Choji perfectly recalled the line Ukitake said from Chapter 135 about Kaien's fight with the Hollow that had killed not only his subordinates, but also his own wife. "As you wish, Captain Ukitake."

"Ha, you're mine now!" Kiba shouted in exertion. His attack flew towards Naruto, who looked grim as he managed to avoid it by slipping sideways and slashing at Kiba's middle. Kiba took the attack, but didn't see the follow up as he was kicked back by Naruto's foot catching his chest.

"Hmph, this is no more challenging than my morning exercises." Naruto boasted, the old pipe now slung over his shoulder as he stood like the overly cocky Kenpachi Zaraki. "I thought you said you were going to destroy me."

"And still you brag…" the voice behind him was unexpected. Naruto turned quickly to see Choji there with red hot anger blazing in his eyes. "It is now time to pay - FOR YOUR ARROGANCE!" Choji had found another of the broomsticks around Naruto's apartment and launched himself at the blond. "ROAR, TENKEN!"

Shikamaru, in a fit of childish, made the explosion sound as Choji hit Naruto, and Naruto pretended to be defeated. Shikamaru then stepped between the two as he waved his arms as though a cloud of dust and debris were obscuring Naruto from view.

"Take two steps back, Sajin." Shikamaru spoke softly to imitate Kaname Tosen's voice as he had a rusted pipe of his own now, "Break all his limbs, Suzumushi, Form Two: Benhikou."

Kiba was on the side already, raining rolled up bits of scroll paper and shooting them at Naruto, who let them hit him as they were all laughing at how Kiba was making whooshing noises as the paper hit the blond in the face and chest.

"It is over," Choji said as he feigned sheathing a sword, "Even if he is Kenpachi Zaraki, he should be shattered into pieces."

Naruto's grin threatened to split his face in two as he took out the bit of paper that was stuck in his messy blond hair. "What? What's over?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side, looking a little more than slightly insane, "I take back what I said, this won't even warm me up."

"Aizen!" Shikamaru switched gears to his favorite scene from the manga, playing the part of Hitsugaya as he placed the old pipe behind his back and stared at Naruto with bemused anger. "I'll ask you again! What happened to Momo?"

Naruto's look of mildly elated insanity disappeared completely as it was replaced by an expression of calm sincerity.

"It wasn't my intention to deceive you. It's just that… out of all of you, there wasn't a single person who could see my true face."

Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba were a little creeped out at the complete switch to Naruto's persona at the drop of the hat. His voice even sounded like what they imagined to be that of Sōsuke Aizen. His eyes were gazing at them uncaringly, as though the three of them specks of dust to be swept away in his power.

Naruto smiled without care as he stalked toward them with an uneasy aura surrounding him. Kiba actually gave a step back and Choji looked very nervous.

"After all, admiration… is the feeling furthest from understanding." Naruto allowed the dim lights to play off his face as Shikamaru roared and charged at him. Naruto stood stock still, and Choji's eyes widened as he believed Shikamaru had actually taken things too far and stabbed Naruto with the pipe.

"Oh!" Naruto howled, the pipe tucked between his arm and side. Choji gave a sigh of relief. "But no. I am the illusion. And now you are the dead." Naruto hit Shikamaru atop the head with his pipe, making a bonk sound.

"And now I am the dead. Heh, heh." Shikamaru snorted, shaking his head at Naruto's very childish statement.

"Man, all the characters in these books are amazing. All of 'em are so different! Almost like actual people!" Kiba exclaimed with Akamaru yipping in agreement. The others nodded as they too shared the same opinion. "My favorite character so far has to be Renji, though. He seems almost exactly like me. Rough around the edges, maybe, but we always know when to be serious and when to do what's right. Plus, his tattoos make my clan markings look tame! The guy is savage, and I mean that in the good way."

"Didn't know there was a good way…" Choji mumbled in jest, an amused smile playing on his lips. "But I'm with ya, Kiba. Though I would say that Ikkaku guy also fits you well, too."

"Thanks, Cho!" Kiba smiled proudly, knowing that his friend was complimenting him.

"My favorite has to be Ukitake! He's smart, nice, and has all this confidence about himself even though he's really sickly. I mean, it has to take a powerful man and an even more powerful record of success to stay on in the high ranking Captain position if you're practically terminally ill. Ukitake reminds me a lot of my dad. Never heard my old man say a bad word in my life, and I've only seen him a few times without a smile on his face. My dad is always kind to others, and he even lets a few people eat free at your clan restaurant when he's really generous!"

"Sounds like you wanna be just like your dad, dattebayo…" there was something in Naruto's tone that made the others look back at him, but they didn't see anything to make them worry. He was smiling softly at Choji, his cerulean blue eyes shimmering with an unreadable emotion.

Sometimes they forgot that Naruto didn't have the blessing of family...

"Yeah, you're right, Naruto… I do want to be just like him! He's the best guy I know!" Choji nodded, not afraid to basically admit that his dad was his idol.

"Mah, mah… Kyoraku is where it's at," Shikamaru affirmed from where he petting Akamaru's fur. "That guy had to be based off the Nara family. Of that, I have little doubt. Smart, lazy, and genuinely underestimated by the people around him. Now that's who I can see myself growing up to be."

"Yeah, maybe," Naruto conceded, but the wry smile on his face left Shikamaru's skin itching with foreboding, "But you're not as lazy as people think, dattebayo. When I think about you compared to the characters of Bleach, I see you more as Hitsugaya than Kyoraku as you are now. Maybe in a few years you won't let yourself run away with your emotions."

Shikamaru snorted peevishly. "That's rich coming from someone like you. I would call you Ichigo, but that guy was actually pretty smart compared to you."

Naruto's smile only grew. "There you go throwing back smart remarks to cover up your butt-hurt feelings, dattebayo."

"Tsk, whatever…"

Naruto's grin threatened to split his face, but Shikamaru refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing he was right.

Choji peered at Naruto in thought for a moment before turning to Shikamaru, "So who is Naruto in the world of Deathberry, Shikamaru?"

"He is a hundred percent Yamamoto…"

As Naruto's irritation exploded, Shikamaru gained a grin of his own for the payback he was due.

"THE HELL, DATTEBAYO! SHIKAMARU YOU BASTARD!"

"Hey, I just call it like I see it, Old-Man Yama…"

Choji gave Shikamaru a deadpan look, considering that he had riled up the most feisty kind in their entire Academy aside from Kiba. Kiba and Akamaru were also giving Shikamaru looks of exasperation while Naruto went off on a tirade about spilling the Nara kid's guts.

Then the three boys all grinned to each other, all too amused to allow such a priceless moment to pass them by without taking advantage.

"You know what… Shika is kind of right…" Choji muttered quietly, causing Naruto to explode again, this time more in shock than anger.

"WH-WHAT!?"

"Yeah, yeah…" Kiba went on with the joke, nodding sagely to his friends' assessments. "I see it. Yeah, I _definitely_ see it…"

Naruto turned a glare at the Inuzuka boy, "You don't see anything, mutt. I'm _nothing at all_ like that old geezer, dattebayo!"

"Despite your pranks and tendency for trouble, you uphold the rules very closely. I mean, even you know when to draw the line, and you never do anything too serious that disturbs the peace of the village." Kiba started as Naruto's face went sour. They were really trying to rationalize this crap!

"Plus you are the one that tries to help others by showing off in class. Granted, it usually turns out badly for you, but you're actually the one everyone in class looks to when they need to see how things are done versus being told what to do. We take practical examples from you, and theory from Iruka-sensei." Choji confessed, and afterward gained a strange look on his face. So did Shikamaru, but not Kiba who was still smirking up a storm.

"And you are the oldest of us all, remember? Taking and failing those two exams must have been quite the task, but if anyone should have passed them at our age, it would be our elder."

"I'M ONLY A FEW MONTHS OLDER THAN YOU BRATS!"

"Exactly!"

Shikamaru then took over, now appearing more thoughtful than entertained. "You get angry easy when you think someone's not doing the right thing, and you don't usually hold anything back in sparring practice… not even when fighting the girls."

"Hey, they can kick and punch just as hard as we can! Besides, Iruka-sensei always says to never underestimate your enemy." Naruto defended, and Kiba gained the same considering look that Choji and Shikamaru had.

"Plus you're super loyal. I mean, I don't think we can throw you away right now without getting our asses kicked over the betrayal to your friendship." Kiba stated with a finger tapping his chin, "My mom says you're like a half-Inuzuka when I tell her about all the time we hang out, and she says that misguiding your trust might be the death of me."

"And everyone can see how loyal you are to Iruka-sensei." Choji nodded to his own assessment, as did Kiba and Shikamaru. At this point, Naruto's anger was just a deflated balloon of its former self as he half-considered what was being said about him. He sat on his threadbare rug with his legs and arms crossed and a grimace on his face. "I mean, Iruka is the only person at the Academy who can find you and convince you to come back to class. He ties you up, but even we know how easily you can escape or else you'd never get a prank done around the village. When you are in class, you do try your best. It… just doesn't come with the best results because of your impatience. Nevertheless, you do take being a ninja and gaining respect very seriously."

"And you expect the same from the rest of us." Shikamaru muttered mutinously. "If you ever get a handle on your training and some semblance of patience, you would be exactly the kinda guy I'd want watching my back on missions. I can't find fault with your loyalty to the village. Hell, you're such a bleeding heart that you'd probably sacrifice yourself for us…" Shikamaru glanced off to the side, making his expression unreadable to the others.

"I can't die on missions with you!" Naruto snapped, "Sure, I'd try and save you guys, but I wouldn't _die_ from it. I still have to become Hokage so everyone in the village will see what an awesome guy I am!"

Yet, even with those words, Naruto knew that it would be a great honor in his duty to lay down his life for the sake of the village. People like Kiba and Choji and Shikamaru had families waiting in the village for them, worried about their safety. Naruto had no one. If he could give his life for them to go back to Shikaku and Tsume and Chouza…

Naruto shook his head. He didn't want to think about it.

Yet and still… he already knew his answer…

"So…" he said with his hair overshadowing his eyes. "You brats think I'm Old Man Yamamoto, huh?"

Kiba and Choji gulped fretfully while Shikamaru partially foresaw this reaction.

"THEN PREPARE YOURSELVES FOR A BEATING!" Naruto bellowed as he picked up the nearest broomstick and gave chase to his now fleeing friends.

"Wait, Old-Man Yama! We haven't released our swords! Don't burn us yet!"

"IMPUDENT CHILDREN DESERVE A THRASHING!"

"Yamamoto-sensei, please don't hurt us!"

"A GOOD BURNING WOULD TEACH YOU YOUNGSTERS A LESSON NOT SOON FORGOTTEN, DATTEBAYO!"

"Ow! Naruto, that actually hurt! Wait—OW!"

"BE SILENT! THIS IS YOUR PUNISHMENT FOR DISRESPECTING YOUR ELDERS!"

The boys played well into the night, fighting each other and imagining themselves into the pages of their now favorite story. Half through to dawn, they had all fallen into sleep with different volumes adorning their laps as they thought to reread their preferred sections of the first part of the story.

Never knowing, did they, that their everyday lives would be changed from that night onward.

* * *

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	3. Ino Wants In

**Chapter 3: Ino Wants In**

* * *

Ino knew they were complete and utter losers. Dorks. Spazzes. Nerds and burnouts of the lowest pecking order. Without a single doubt in her mind, she understood with all her womanly intuition now that these four idiots were total failures to society and needing immediate purging from all relevant social groups. It was a true wonder that any of them could even function.

Especially when they ran around doing things like what she had stumbled upon.

And were those broomsticks? _Seriously_?!

And what was with the white bathhouse robes over their slightly stylish black ninja wear? But of course Naruto would be the one still in that horrid orange jumpsuit he was so fond of…

And why were they acting like total rejects in the middle of broad daylight? Naruto she could understand. The moron had no quarrels with being an outcast. Heck, he was one all his life.

Kiba, too, she could see behaving in such a rough manner as he tried to assault Naruto with a stupidly polished broomstick. And did Uzumaki just flip over the side swipe? That had looked difficult, and yet remarkable as his hand caught the ground and the blond flipped again away from the others with his broomstick still in hand. Naruto was gymnastic… Not that she was praising him or anything! She could do ten times better than him!

Choji was always a bit of a loose cannon when it came to people he considered his friends. He didn't necessarily care how he looked so long as the person he was hanging out with didn't mind. And for once Ino was seeing the chubby boy without a bag of chips or candy anywhere nearby… Oh wait, she spoke too soon. There was a pile of snacks over by the apartment complex that looked like all but the top level needed to be torn down.

Choji stood at the ready beside Shikamaru before they launched into action, shouting out such stupid nonsense that had them slashing and hacking at Naruto while calling him Kenpachi Zaraki… whatever that was… They even took to throwing blunted weapons at Naruto, which the blond was either dodging or batting away with his polished broomstick as Ino knew the weapons were very blunt because they didn't even have points where the knife edges should have been. Hell, the kunai weren't even sticking into the ground when they fell!

And as she squinted from her _obviously-not-hiding-place_ of standing in the middle of the open street, Ino was starting to think that those broomsticks weren't actually broomsticks. They were bokken, wooden practice swords that looked to be freshly purchased from perhaps a week or two ago. The wooden blades still looked new, but had a few dents in them where they had met resistance. The one Naruto was using looked the most beat up. He probably used it a lot more than the others, who had clans behind them to teach each of them more refined arts than beating sticks against practice dummies or anything the no-name orphan could boast.

But even still, Naruto was keeping pace with his three opponents, because Ino could now clearly see that was what this theatre of beating each other up was. Them versus Naruto, three against one. Yet still, Naruto was outlasting them. He leapt over Choji to deliver a one-handed strike against Kiba, who only barely had enough time to get his guard up to repel the heavy strike.

Watching these losers even more intently than she would ever admit, Ino noticed how Naruto fell thoughtlessly, instinctively, into the prowling assessment that presaged every Academy weapons bout they had shared together under the watchful eye of Iruka-sensei and his assistant, Mizuki. Eyes intent, that smug grin lurking, Naruto moved like a predator and the others countered him by matching him step for step.

* * *

"Come on now, I thought you said this was going to be better than my morning exercises."

Naruto's voice sounded weird to Ino's ears. She had heard his loud-mouthed nonsense more than she ever cared to, so she knew his voice as good as anyone. Whereas normally he sounded whiny and bratty, like a child who didn't get mommy and daddy's attention, here he sounded gruff and ill-tempered, like a swordsman itching for a good battle. And maybe that was right. Naruto certainly didn't look winded, but Choji and Shikamaru were already breathing hard. Kiba appeared slightly warmed up, but Naruto was as cool as if he hadn't yet stepped on the field of their bout.

"Ready?" Kiba asked his teammates in this match. Choji and Shikamaru nodded, tensing themselves as they stood. Shikamaru held his bokken in an open stance, as tense as he was relaxed even despite the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Choji was the same, but he had a two-handed grip of his sword in front of him, whereas Shikamaru was one-handed and held his sword up at his side like an open challenge. Kiba crouched low and held his bokken above his head, angling down until the point was almost at his knee.

"Come at me!" Ino _felt that_ shout from Naruto. Maybe he was a little too battle-ready, as if he were trying to project bloodlust.

And she watched still as their dance began.

When she had come all this way on the mere whim of seeing where Shikamaru and Choji were spending all their time where once they liked to take a few days of slothful loafing around at her family's flower shop, this was the last thing Ino had expected. Neither boy was the training for training's sake type of person, and when she learned that this abandoned block was actually where Naruto lived, Ino had almost laughed. Of course no one wanted to live around the brattest kid in existence! Naruto probably gave people hell on a normal basis for even stepping foot near his place. Ino could see it now, and had almost let slip a hysterical laughter.

Of course, she didn't because people were around and she didn't need any rumors get out that she was crazy. People already thought her family were a bunch of nutjobs because of the mental ninja arts they practiced, so she wasn't going to be adding fuel to that fire.

However, to see Shikamaru and Choji actually busting their asses in an unnecessary dork fight against Naruto was not even in the realm of possibilities she had imagined.

And, _wow_ , were they really putting some effort into it!

Moving and then standing much closer than she would ever admit, Ino found herself becoming unsuitably envious of her four male peers.

 _I'll never handle a bokken that well. Jeez, it's like they're trying to kill each other right here and now. Even if I trained twenty hours a day I don't think I'll ever be like them_.

Of course they were all brute force and fancy flips. Naruto seemed to have a little more technique to his movements than the others, but it was still rough and unrefined. Ino had flexibility and finesse. She had craft and deft in what she knew. Where they were fighting like barbarians trying to knock each other's brains out, Ino knew she could skim around all of them with the grace of a dancer or gymnast. They were stone and she was water.

She studied them more than anyone would know that day as Naruto pitted himself against Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru in a play, dueling each other in the demanding form of swordsmanship.

And it was play, even though they were deadly serious. Watching her classmates leap over each other, she wondered what had gotten them to this point. She had never seen or heard any of them take an active interest in their training as future shinobi. Had never heard of them inquiring about swords or samurai. And when did they have the time to get so good? And who had shown them these techniques and moves? Because she could clearly see they were copying someone with the sloppiness of their specific attacks against each other whereas they could have just continued to slash and hack at one another until a side fell exhausted.

Ino frowned on the inside, where none of them would see if they suddenly took notice of her, but she doubted they would. And that made her angry, too. This was their training session, and she was an unwanted spectator to it. This was Naruto Uzumaki, Kiba Inuzuka, Choji Akimichi, and Shikamaru Nara dancing with their toy swords for their own amusement and improvement.

It wasn't for her. She was the one butting in, being nosy where they probably wanted no eyes upon them.

And that wasn't fair, she felt. An unworthy thought, she knew, and she thought it anyway—just for a moment. Because she should be included, if only to mock them and their hard work.

Choji was a fatass, as wide as he was caring and gentle. And Shikamaru was a loser, as smart as he was lazy and unmotivated. They were her friends, even if she had never called them such to their faces. She was the one who was supposed to get them off their asses and off to the races. Not Naruto. Not Kiba.

And _those two_ … Ugh!

Kiba was a mutt in every sense of the word. He looked scruffy, he sounded boorish, and he carried himself with a pride that hardly seemed acceptable for his station in the social order of their classroom. More often than not, Ino wanted to tear him a new asshole because of the cocky grins and self-assured words he threw around.

And Naruto Uzumaki was a dozen times _worse!_ At least Kiba had a clan name behind him and some basic manners to fall back on. Hell, Kiba even had some good grades every now and then along with the training his family put him through that made him redeemable. Naruto had _nothing_ redeemable about him. He was a _loser_ in _every sense of the word_ , and Ino would stand by that verdict as long as she lived. Naruto was a no-name orphan. He was a trouble-maker. He was the dead-last student of their class. He was ill-mannered and quick-tempered. He never paid attention in class and skipped school as often as they attended it in his absence. He pulled pranks around the village on anyone no matter their station in the social order. He had no manners at all and no training.

And yet still he acted with all the swagger of one of the Hokage. He grinned big and spoke an even bigger game with nothing to show for it. He was a stain on her sensibilities and she wished he would just move to another village.

And yet here he was—with all of them, including her Shika and Cho—training hard and still grinning as he made Kiba, Shika, and Cho sweat for his amusement.

She wished even more that Naruto Uzumaki would disappear at the moment.

He was stealing a spotlight Ino had never really thought anyone would or could take from her. He was making Shikamaru and Choji sweat just for the hell of it, but the sweat didn't stop them.

The mock-fight carried on.

Strike and counterstrike, blow and counterblow, leaping and spinning and slashing and evading. Running and jumping, as one with the rhythm of battle. Every now and then, a sharp bark of laughter from Kiba. A good-natured jibe from Naruto. A clever hit acknowledged by Choji. Shikamaru had maneuvered himself at one point in the spar so Naruto's attention was caught between Choji and Kiba before he slapped his bokken across the blond prankster's backside. And Naruto had howled at that without any real irritation rising from the normally sore loser. That made Kiba and Choji laugh. Ino laughed with them to herself quietly, and didn't mind so much that they were still not aware of her. Because, after all, she was there to see them, and not the other way around.

And to herself, she reasoned that they were sort of dancing for her. No one could take that away from her.

As she watched them, they paused again for a moment to let Shikamaru and Choji catch their breath. Kiba was also wiping the sweat from his brow, but Naruto had only just started breathing hard. He had a light sheen covering his forehead, but aside from that and the dirt on his white bathrobe he seemed perfectly ready to continue until sundown.

Then they resumed, and though it scarcely seemed possible, they were fighting so swiftly already, Naruto gripped his bokken in two hands—something Ino only just took notice of—they went on at an increased speed. The training swords moved in a blur too fast for a normal person, but with the training they received at the Academy during observation classes, Ino was easily able to keep up with who was beating up who. Holding her breath, amazed at the way they were now going at their fullest, she watched her four boys put on a display of their true skill level. No longer was it one versus three, but now it was a free-for-all as Choji attacked Shikamaru, who slid the Akimichi boy into the path of Kiba before Naruto jumped into the fray and batted them all away before Shikamaru gave a roundhouse kick to Naruto's torso.

Strike—block—parry—evade—bind—counterbind—countermeasure—broken time—body-to-body and double release—push—pull—feint—backflip—recover… and start again all over.

When Naruto jumped away from Kiba, he leaped atop the courtyard's wall and Kiba pursued. Naruto seemed to curse his luck as they dueled fiercely atop the brick structure. He finally got an opening, but it was blocked by Shikamaru who had finally managed to distract Choji by pulling his bathrobe over his head. Shikamaru tripped Naruto off the wall, and caught the blond in the side with his bokken when it looked like Naruto would recover from the fall. He would have finished Naruto off if Kiba didn't jump down with an overhead two-handed heavy slash that swept the dust from the ground. Naruto rolled away just in time, as the strike seemed just as much for him as it was for Shika.

But not even her brats could keep this kind of playground warfare up, and Ino could see them all beginning to truly tire from their pace and power.

So, like a true ninja, Ino made her presence purposefully known to them then, when they were too tired and weak to do anything about it. Not that she cared.

And not like she had enjoyed watching them and decided they _needed_ a break anyway, mind you.

* * *

Just as Shikamaru caught Naruto on the shoulder with a particularly hard whack of his bokken, Ino walked up with her hands on her hips, clearly marching toward them as though she had just arrived on scene.

"What are you idiots doing?" she snapped at them like she was only now seeing them. It wasn't hard to fake; that had been her initial reaction to seeing them play around in bathrobes with a bunch of sticks. "Don't you morons have anything better to do than bang around like a bunch of kids? Honestly, I don't even know why I bother with any of you dorks! You'd rather dress up in bathrobes and beat on each other with sticks like some kids than commit to serious ninja training like my Sasuke. Why can't you losers be more like him? I bet he's hard at training right now while the four of you are nerding it up over here!"

Naruto appeared too shocked by her preemptive verbal assault to say anything. He was still rubbing that shoulder of his as his cerulean blue eyes found her with surprise as clear as day in them. Shikamaru and Choji also didn't have words for her as they glanced at each other in a rather confused manner.

Kiba, however, didn't miss a chance to mouth-off. Even when Naruto was clearly working things out still as he looked at her searchingly, Kiba shouldered his bokken and gave her that damnable cocky grin she wanted to punch off his mutt-face.

"What's got you in such a mood, Ino? Sasuke caught you stalking him again? I told you he'll get the police force on you and those other girls you hang out with if you don't stop." Kiba said as if it were plain truth. Ino grit her teeth in fury. How dare he say something so boorish to her!? Sasuke would never call the police on her. Or anyone, for that matter! Her Sasuke was as gallant as he was strong, and this mutt knew nothing about the budding love they shared.

"Give me that!" Ino snatched away the bokken from Choji so quick that he hardly had time to react. She leveled it at Kiba, who looked shocked and surprised before she flew forward with the barest lunge at the knees and ankles. The point of the bokken was aimed directly at Kiba's heart, and while it won't kill him, it would smart for just long enough for Ino to get her point across.

Then Naruto got in the way. He still looked shocked that she was even there, even as he stopped her with his bare hands grabbing the bokken before she could reach Kiba with her fencer-like stab. After all, they had only had a handful of encounters outside of the academy their entire lives. Ino could count on hand the number of conversations they had without anyone forcing them into talking to one another. All of them but two had left Ino annoyed and with a sour taste in her mouth as Naruto grated nerves she wasn't even aware she had at those times. The two that weren't bad were still equally annoying as they involved Ino learning things about herself and her fellow blond that she hadn't cared to know at the time. Emotional things. Ugh…

"Ino? What are you doing?" Naruto asked, as he stupidly would. He could beat the crap out of Kiba in training, but far be it from her to kick the mutt's ass when he insulted her and insinuated that she was a stalker!

"What's it look like? I'm going to skewer him with this damn thing!" That was probably a little too crude for the proper lady she should be, but she knew they wouldn't care. Heck, she had probably just earned some points with Naruto for her coarse and graphic language. Kiba too, though she didn't care what either of their opinions of her was.

"We can't let you do that…" Naruto said, looking at Shikamaru and Choji with a strange look, "We cannot… let you… hurt Rukia!"

Wait… what?

Naruto threw her back by shoving hard at the bokken in her hands. She went stumbling back, but she would be damned if she lost her balance and ended up on her ass in front of these losers like some newbie civilian girl. She was a kunoichi in training! Naruto himself leapt back to be at Kiba's side and Shikamaru jumped clear over her with a flip to land in a crouch beside them. Choji stood where he was, watching them with an unreadable expression as Ino readied to go after Kiba again.

"If you want to lay a single finger on our Rukia," Naruto proclaimed, a fiercer look of determination in his eyes than Ino would have expected, "then you'll have to go through us!"

That got her even more irritated. These unbelievable jerks were still playing their kiddie games! Worst yet, they were involving _her_ in them!

Ino raised the bokken high above her head with both hands and a war cry bursting from her lips. She charged straight at them, and it didn't matter to her which one got in her way now, she was gonna clobber all of 'em!

Naruto and Shikamaru took up the opposition against her, defending against all her strikes as she tried attacking them from every angle. She fell back on the training she had with her parents and the Academy in handling kunai like they were short swords. She thrust and stabbed—slashed and hacked—swung and swatted. But they were all either blocked or dodged with at least some effort on their part. Her nonstop offensive had caught the boys off-guard, and she was better with the wooden sword than all of them—including mostly herself—had expected of her in the heat of the moment.

The boys were indeed tired, and Shikamaru was the first to get hit as she struck his hand when he tried to block her. If asked, Ino would proudly lie about how it was done on purpose because she liked Shikamaru more than the others. She left him with that as she twisted gracefully passed him in order to catch Kiba, who still being protected by Naruto as he barely managed to stop her attack in time.

The fight between the two of them was more controlled—more theater than actual brawl. Ino kept attacking, giving no quarter, but Naruto was making his own where she gave none. Every now and then he would stop defending Kiba in order to probe at her defenses, but Ino wouldn't let him press the advantage of strength and experience. She had speed and grace over him, as well as her own practiced flexibility. Whenever her fellow blond knocked her sword off course and tried to press forward with a quick stab or upward slash, Ino would bend out of the way, or kick him in the chin with a graceful backward heel-touch as she flipped back onto her hands before executing at least three more flips to get a safe distance. Then she would be back at him as quick as lightning with a rapid fencer's thrust as her feet barely skimmed the ground from the way she lunged at her opponent. Naruto found those the hardest to defend against. He had to get himself and Kiba out of the way the first few times, but afterward he managed to barely start redirecting the angle of her stab by whirling his bokken either up or down at just the right moment in her attack to throw her off balance. If he tried to follow up with a sidelong swipe of his bokken, Ino would bend back, limber in her limbo to safely dodge the strike against her before bringing her own bokken to play. She slashed it just over or under his wooden sword to try and catch his hands with a speedy slight. Naruto never fell for those, skidding back from them or skimming his sword against hers so she would be the first to back off since ruining her nails was the last thing she wanted to do while playing around with them.

And that was exactly what she was doing; playing with the boys. She was actually taking part in their stupid childish games. But not only that—Ino would only admit to herself that she was _actually enjoying it_. She felt her heart racing and her blood pumping in her veins. This was a different excitement from finding the perfect dress to blend in with the night, or convincing her mother to take her to the hair salon with her. Or even getting the perfect pair of shoes to go with the new shuriken set her father bought. This was even better than hearing the latest gossip from her group of gal-pals.

This was a _rush_! Ino couldn't remember the last time she had liked something that involved making her sweat. She hated exercise with her mom, lectures on clan jutsu from her dad, and even going for special training with her cousins in the Interrogation department. But this… this was different for some reason. Ino didn't know why, but it was. It made her fell free. Wailing on these idiots was like taking a refreshing step back from everything else in her life. And maybe that was it. It had nothing to do with jutsu, clan secrets, or even the fact that they were exercising. It was just a game to these dorks. A game they seemed to take very seriously, but at the same time not serious at all.

As the sweat trickled down from her forehead to her chin, Ino could feel herself grinning as she finally got Naruto with a clever feint. She slipped pass him when he thought she was going to attack his right leg. This was nothing. Nothing important. Nothing she would need in the future. She would be just fine in her life—even better in her _social_ life, in fact—if she just dropped the bokken right then and there before calling them all losers, walking away never to return.

She would be. She knew it. They knew it. The _universe_ knew it. This whole thing was as irrelevant as it was exhilarating. It was as stupid as it was fun. It was as much a potential stain to her popularity as it was a blossoming freedom to her stress-filled life.

And she knew that if she walked away while that stupid look was on Naruto's face, just as she twirled to get inside his guard, she would be called the victor by the four boys no matter what happened next; and no one else need know she was ever there to begin with.

But dammit if she didn't want vengeance against these idiots for bringing her into their insanity. And she would have it, no matter what.

Plus, even if she'd never admit out loud, she liked hanging out with them all like this. Naruto was actually pretty cool once he stopped being so bratty and whiny. Kiba was as sneaky and hilarious as he was steadfast and loyal. Shika and Cho were her boys, through and through.

But she'd never admit it aloud.

Seeing that dumb look on Naruto's face, Ino noticed very fast that even despite getting the better of him with her little trick, Naruto Uzumaki was not without tricks of his own. That bokken of his was redirected so fast that it ripped a hole straight through his bathrobe—which this close up looked less like an actual bathrobe and more like a colorless haori, which she realized it was—and thrust right at her collarbone. Naruto, even caught unawares, was still in the fight and aiming to indirectly make Ino drop her bokken or be forced to do it from the pain it would bring her swinging the much-heavier-than-it-looks sword around for another few clashes against him. He already sent shockwaves through her arms every time she met him head-on, and she had stopped that a while ago. Ino wasn't sure what she could do at that moment. She refused to give up and have them know they had her beat. And she certainly wasn't about to be defeated by the dead-last of their class when she was the cream of the crop in their year!

So, Ino did what any self-respecting shinobi would have done then. It was only natural. After all, it was the oldest trick in the book, and no one would fault her for it in the end because it was so obvious a method that they seldom had to rely on it.

She _cheated_.

Oh, did she cheat.

Ino already had her bokken lowered because she thought she could get a skyward slice off on Naruto to make him back off. This would have separated him from her real target: Kiba Inuzuka. It would have also left Kiba defenseless and stunned by her quick-thinking.

Now, with her bokken skirting the ground anyway, Ino dug it in even deeper as she surged her arms in a crest and thrust forward at Naruto. The dirt from the ground went flying at him, and he had no way to stop it as he took a face and neck full of dirt grains and gravel. Naruto sputtered uncontrollably as some got in his mouth and eyes, stumbling back from Ino even as she felt a little sorry for the cheap tactic.

Then he started swinging wildly around at everything, blinded by her stunt and she was annoyed all over again. Didn't he know how to just give up and rub the dirt from his eyes!? Jeez, he was as thick-headed as he was determined, and equally irritating in the fact that he refused to simply let her win. She had never been so agitated in a fight before.

She had also never been pit against him like she was against Ami or Hinata. Naruto was always sparring Kiba or Sasuke when they practiced any fighting skills. Even when they mixed things up she would always get someone like Shino or Haiden while Naruto fought Ami or Naoko.

Now that he was disoriented, Ino had no trouble taking Naruto out in less than a few moves. She kicked up even more dirt just to be sure the blond idiot wasn't getting back in the game any time soon. And for added measures she hit his sword hand—his left one—and then caught him in the side before delivering the finishing blow as when he doubled over in pain she brought the wooden sword down from over her head with all her might on his exposed back. Naruto went down like a ton of bricks, and Ino was left disgustingly sweaty, dirty from her own cheap stunt, and so out of breath that her throat was dry.

But damn if she didn't feel good about every last bit of it.

* * *

"Now…" Ino was struck surprised by just how hoarse her voice was to her own ears. And horrified by how her hair had come undone from her perfect ponytail to fall around her face as she bent over with a hand on her knee. Yet still, she didn't lower the bokken any more than necessary as she pointed it threateningly at Naruto's sprawled body, "Stay down, ya blond dimwit, or else I'll knock ya back into the dirt!"

"Uhh…" Naruto groaned, rubbing at his back, but Ino had the feeling that he was just being over-dramatic despite how hard she had hit him. Naruto always gave her that feeling. Like anything he did was either way more or way less than he let on. "I'm down, I'm down. But you… you're blonde yourself, Ino. Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black, dattebayo…?"

She couldn't help it. Couldn't help herself. She kicked him. _Repeatedly_. He just got under her skin so easy. Easier than Shikamaru. Easier than Sakura. Easier even than Kiba. Naruto just somehow knew how to needle her nerves with the smallest of effort. She was sure he wasn't aware of the ability, but dammit if she cared. He was always like this, and if he was never going to change, then neither was she.

And she refused to believe what her mother said about the annoying ones being the perfect ones. If she started having feelings for this blond jackass, Ino was sure she'd take a kunai to the neck immediately afterward by choice.

She realized that she was now kicking him so hard and so much that dust was starting to fly. So she kicked more dirt at him for good measure. Not at his face or anything, she wasn't trying to be insulting or anything, she just wanted to get her message across not to piss her off again today. The dirt flew over him and disbursed into the air around them. Choji and Shikamaru were standing off to the side watching her and Naruto with mixed expressions.

Choji looked sad for Naruto's plight, but reluctant to come to his aid and earn her wrath. That big fat chicken!

Shikamaru looked vaguely annoyed by both of them, as though they were taking too long to have a lover's spat or something. When she glared at him though it wiped the look from his face as he raised his hands in surrender. The wimp.

And she came to the realization that she had completely lost track of Kiba, the true target of her initial assault. He was nowhere to be found, and had left poor Naruto as the punching bag first chance he got. That total coward!

At least Naruto took his lumps without running away and head on. He barely even complained about things afterward. His three friends, however, were more mice than ninja as they left him to suffer alone. The wusses!

As the dust began to settle around them, there was still bits and pieces swirling through the air. Choji fanned some of it away from himself and Shikamaru.

"Well, that sure was something flashy. Never expected Ino to get the better of Naruto like that. Especially after the last few weeks we've been at this. But I wonder… what should I do?" Choji asked the air, but it was a voice behind him that gave the answer.

"You shouldn't even move," came Kiba's voice behind him as Choji and Shikamaru's eyes widened in surprise and shock. They had completely forgotten about Kiba when they began seeing Ino beat the everlasting crap out of Naruto in a show of rage. The bokken slipped skillfully to his neck was a great touch as well. Kiba had gotten better at subtlety, it seemed.

Ino, seeing Kiba reemerge from behind the wider Akimichi boy, was again seething in rage. How had he even gotten over there!? And when?! Ugh, these dorks were actually making her think they might turn out as good ninja, because that kind of stealth and tact took at least half a brain to execute.

"Ugh! What game are you dolts playing at here!?" Ino yelled, startling the prone Naruto at her feet. He scrambled away and to his feet a few meters from Ino before he started babbling about some books or something like she hadn't just thoroughly beaten him to the ground. Kami, how resilient was he? He often brushed off rough sparring matches at the Academy, but Ino knew that in her fury she had pulled no punches—or _kicks_ as it were.

As he went on and on and on about bleach or cleansing or something about a Deathberry, Ino was too worked up to listen anymore to him blabber like he was. She conked him on the head so fast he had no chance to do anything but drop to the ground and whine about it, rolling around as he cursed her with every colorful word he knew.

And apparently he knew plenty. Far more than she did.

She'd have to use a few of those sometime.

Shikamaru was walking up to them now, a book in his hand instead of a wooden sword as he approached. His expression was back to that lazy unenthusiastic look he gave everything when he felt too bothered to do anything about anything. Slowly but surely the excitement drained from Ino too, as it must have from Shika. She became more aware of the dirt on her clothes and in her hair as well as the matted condition of both.

"Here," Shikamaru said with a long suffering sigh as he handed her the book, "see for yourself. This is the reason we're out here."

Ino snatched the book away and threw the bokken back at Choji, who caught it with a little difficulty. Flipping through the pages, Ino was initially disgusted that they were reading manga like a bunch of street urchins. Then she remembered Naruto _was_ a street urchin, and figured it was his bad habits rubbing off on them. However, she cared very little at this point who was rubbing off on who. All she cared about was the fact that she noticed one thing.

Naruto was finally off the ground, and got a book to the face as Ino threw it away over her shoulder in utter disgust.

"Dattebayo! Ow, ow, ouch!"

He was back on the ground with an injured face.

Ino had her hands on her hips, lips set in a thin scowl, "What is this trash? No wonder you're all a bunch of losers reading and acting out garbage like this! There aren't any strong female leads in there! It's just a bunch of sweaty hairy guys hacking each other to pieces with swords! Where are the women? Where is the art? Where is the _romance_?"

Shikamaru appeared to be at the end of his rope, "I can't say much for romance, because there is none in the series as far as we've read. However, there is a cast of female personalities in the books. Not in the volume I just gave you, but we have plenty with different women showcased in them. If you want strong women, then you're looking for Yoruichi Shihōin and Sui-Feng of the Stealth Force."

Choji came rushing over with another volume for her to look at. She went through this one more carefully as it displayed a woman who looked to be from Kumogakure. She liked the woman's character in the story, easy-going and casual as she fought against another woman who looked like an older form of her friend Naoko.

Ino had to read the next volume in order to find out what happened in the actual fight itself, this volume cover displaying the petite woman, Sui-Feng, in a fierce and deadly pose unlike her dark-skinned counterpart, who had been on display in a sexy and flexible position of a sprawled low cat-crouch.

It wasn't until Chapter One Hundred and Fifty-Seven that Ino finally was able to read the fight between this Yoruichi and Sui-Feng characters.

And it was epic.

The women threw around their martial skill and power like it was no one's business. Ino was honestly impressed that female characters were handled so well in such a clearly man-majority manga series.

"I like it," Ino declared, tossing the book at Shikamaru, who caught it before it could impact with his face. "They're strong, but also beautiful. Tough, yet elegant. They're clearly the Hokage of the series. That old man was strong in his showing against his two students, but the two women are clearly just as strong. I mean, they even run the ninja from what I read."

She knew she was probably way off base with her assumptions, but she didn't care. It was obvious the two ladies of the _Deathberry_ series manga were top-tier fighters. Captain and commanders they had been called.

She hoped she'd get to that kind of authority one day. Or at least be able to retire without missing an arm, or having some ugly scars on her face or something.

Naruto was off the ground again by this time, having brushed the dirt off his clothes and from his eyes. His cerulean blue eyes weren't even red from the dirt. They were still perfectly clear and deep with light dancing in them as Naruto stared at her.

Ino shook her head as she forced herself to scowl lightly at him. His eyes were always so nice and bright, but she'd never let him know that.

"They're not the Hokage, dattebayo. The old man is. Old Man Yamamoto, he's called. Yoruichi and Sui-Feng, well, they're in charge of the ninja, but Old Man Yama commands _everyone_." Naruto was saying, but Ino was ignoring him for the most part whilst Shikamaru and Choji tried to shut him up to keep her content. She scoffed at them. Boys were so stupid. As if she needed them handling her with kid gloves. If she wanted to scream and yell at them for being the knuckle-dragging nimrods they clearly were, then it was her prerogative as a woman to do so. Her mother had taught her that much.

No matter, she was not her mother's daughter for just any reason. If they wanted to handle her with kid gloves, then she'd make them regret it.

"You idiots _clearly_ need a woman's touch around here if you're going to keep this up!" Ino pointed a finger at Naruto dramatically. She shoved her way in between the three boys as Kiba was preoccupied with feeding Akamaru before getting in Naruto's face, elbowing Choji and Shikamaru away from him. Poking her fellow blond in the chest, Ino continued on with her tirade. "You dopes are all brawn and _no_ finesse! Those women were clearly on par—if not _stronger_ —than the men in those books. And I just showed you that I can take any of you on any day of the week. _Clearly_ you need me to help mold you hulking bricks into fine specimens of fashion and battle. The only guy I saw worth my attention in those books looked prettier than _me_ , dammit!"

"You mean Yumichika?" Naruto asked before Ino once again got in his personal space.

She poked his chest again before grabbing a hold of his white haori. She felt the material between her fingers. It was thin and scratchy. Ugh, they needed _so much_ work. "And what the hell is this? Cotton? No, I don't want to know. It's all _wrong_! And why is it only the _one_ layer with _no_ internal fabric of color? This piece of crap is bland and _tasteless_! Urr, you men have _no_ sense of style or even dress! It's a wonder you four can dress yourselves each morning!"

Ino shot a look of loathing at all of them before turning back to Naruto, the clear ring leader of their merry band of misfits. "You, Naruto Uzumaki, are going to show me where you morons bought these travesties before I _vomit_. Then I'm going to _smack_ the tailor who had the _audacity_ to not _only_ let you _leave_ their store with this, but to _actually_ _charge you_ _money_ for this poor-ass bed sheet design I could have made you at my own kitchen table in less than thirty minutes."

Naruto gulped in fear as she glared daggers up at him. Was he actually _taller_ than her now? When had _that_ happened? The last time she was this close to him, he had barely been able to meet eye to eye with her. Jeez, her irk was rising higher and higher with everything today.

"And for my expert eye and help in transforming you rejects into decent appearing members of society, you Naruto Uzumaki are going to buy me a very specific tailor-made exact replica of Yoruichi Shihōin's outfit from that book. I could _not_ take my eye off it."

"What?!" Naruto yelped, but Ino was ignoring him.

"No, no. That's wrong of me." Ino decided, waving a hand dismissively, "I want my outfit with a _purple_ _top_ instead of orange. Orange is just… _no_. Purple suits me much better." Ino said with a shake of her head, even as she cast a nauseated look at Naruto's orange jumpsuit under his sheet-thin white haori.

"What the—!? Hey! What's wrong with orange, dattebayo!?"

* * *

 **Did everyone like Ino's entrance into the slowly forming Divisions? Her starting contribution is that she's going to make them actually look like the Gotei 13 instead of a poor imitation of them.**

 **REVIEW or PM if you have anything to say about the story so far, or if you have any ideas for the future.**

 **The next chapter is already written, it just needs to be edited. It will be up next week.**

 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	4. Paragon of Their School Days

**A quick pro tip for all your readers out there: Don't drop your laptop down a flight of stairs. That is apparently very bad... LoL! But regardless of my clumsiness, my computer is fixed and**

 **Chapter 4: Paragon of Their School Days**

* * *

"Is that really him?"

"It can't be!"

"He's changed so much… we just saw him a few weeks ago!"

"Hey, he's not wearing a lot of orange today… I mean, it's on the inside of that white robe and that sash is orange, but still…"

"And what's with the black and white bath robes?"

"The bath robes? I'm more worried about the bokken he's carting around like some kinda gangster!"

Naruto stepped through the Academy building entrance with an air of nonchalant ignorance. The courtyard, along with the hallways were quite crowded with students and instructors. His freshly pressed stark white haori gently billowing in his wake. The bokken he carried around these days rested at his right hip, safely tucked away into the orange obi sash. Although, despite some things about him changing, Naruto's hair was still unkempt as he self-consciously scratched at the back of his head. He was used to the stares and whispers of people talking behind his back, however, the _way_ they were talking was now totally different than a few weeks ago. It was no longer with an air of disgust and annoyance, but now folks were regarding him with interest and curiosity, things Naruto had never garnered from his peers ever before.

"Is that the same Uzumaki?"

"Yeah, yeah… He doesn't look violent."

"Nor like the brat that used to run through the halls. And is he… quiet?"

"Yeah, never seen him like this before. Maybe he's not so bad after all…"

"Hey, Uzumaki! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Marino!" Naruto greeted the older kid back, being sure to wave and smile so all the others could see him. The others looked at this curiously, thrown for a loop by a less juvenile Naruto Uzumaki.

Ino would be so proud once she heard about his progress!

"Ha! I always knew he could be cool! He just needed to calm down a bit!"

"…well, better you than me for finding out…"

Naruto continued to smile and greet others who dared to welcome him for the day. He could hear many of the students whispering amongst themselves. This was quite a shock to him and he found it odd to endure murmurs that ranged from neutral to even positive about him. Normally it was "brat this" and "orange nuisance" that. However, his personality never did not allow him to simply grow depressed about what they said. It had only ever made him more determined to prove them all wrong.

And now… now he was finally doing just that.

Reaching the door to his perspective classroom, Naruto stopped just short of entering as he took a deep breath to steady himself. Today would change everything about how people saw him and how Naruto saw himself. No longer would Naruto Uzumaki be known as the Orange Brat of Konoha, but instead as something new. Something greater!

Throwing open the classroom door, Naruto stood proud and tall in the doorway as he made his dramatic entrance. He could tell that he had caught them all unaware as all eyes cut sharply toward his way and silence became deafening to the room. Naruto grinned as he marched forward a few steps, placing himself decidedly in the room and where everyone inside could gaze upon his new appearance.

He hadn't wanted to return until he was completely sure, after all. Now, after only a month, he was without a single doubt. His resolve was stronger than steel! And now, right then and there, everyone would know it.

After seeing that everyone had settled a little bit from his sudden appearance, Naruto spoke. "I would like to introduce myself to my classmates. I am Naruto Uzumaki, rank of Captain and leader of the Fifth Division. You may not have seen me over the course of the last few weeks to a month, and that is understandable. While you all have been getting your education, I had to look inside myself for a little learning. I learned who I was and what I wanted to do from this point onward. So, you can all just call me Captain Naruto from now on, dattebayo!"

Naruto gave them all a casual salute with his pointer and middle finger. His cheeky grin was obvious to all as it displayed just enough of his white teeth to be seen as charming.

All of the students gathered in the classroom were deadly silent for a few moments before they began murmuring at the sudden affirmation of the rumor. Some of them had thought Uzumaki had moved away to another village. Others had thought he was taken by a rival ninja populace. And even still a few had believed Naruto had disappeared to gain wisdom from a sage.

Those last few were right… well, kind of right, at any rate…

"Captain Naruto, huh? Well, Uzumaki sure went and got full of himself…"

"Maybe so… yet, look at him, Oshiro. He's dressed different, and even seems to carry himself differently… Uzu—I mean, Captain Naruto might have become stronger in his weeks away from the Academy…"

"Whoa… Uzumaki sure knows how to make a return to school… Never seen anyone come back from a whole month away looking so… different…"

"Hmm… this will need further observation…" black shades reflected light as they focused in on Naruto still standing easily and casually at the front of the classroom.

"Captain Naruto, sir! Good morning to you!" Kiba greeted Naruto with a cheeky grin of his own and a proper salute.

"Heh, heh! Captain Uzumaki! Over here!" Choji joined in on the antics, "Good morning, sir!"

"Yup! Good morning, Kiba! Choji!" Naruto chuckled effortlessly, never thinking that he'd cause such a stir so early. A few words and some new clothes were doing more than he could have ever thought. "You can all just call me Captain Naruto, or Captain Uzumaki from now on! Ha, ha, heh! Whichever one you feel more comfortable with addressing to me!"

"Ugh… Naruto… why are you so troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered, but smirked as he saw a few others daring to welcome Naruto back to the classroom. Namely folks like Hinata waving meekly and Morino Utani just saying hello.

It was then that Naruto's alert senses warned him of an incoming danger. His eyes darted upward. His hand flew in front of his face, catching a blunted kunai between two fingers that had been hurled his way from within the clot of students who were seated at their desks.

Standing within the rows of students was a fair-skinned beauty. Her teal eyes were narrowed upon Naruto's form, pinning him in place with just her gaze. Long pale-blonde hair swayed back behind her in the ponytail she wore it in, reaching around mid-back. The bangs framing the right side of her face didn't hide her glare from Naruto's vision, making him feel quite small under such intensity.

Wearing a black, backless, sleeveless undershirt that was easily seen from the opening of her purple over-shirt with two white straps on each shoulder, the girl stood strong with a hand on the large beige sash around her waist above her hips. Black stretch pants were peaking from beyond the desk, just visible enough to tell Naruto that this girl was in full gear today before she had assaulted him. He suspected that she was even wearing the pair of lightweight brown shoes, which allowed for stealth and easy use of speed techniques.

This girl was Ino Yamanaka, and she did not look pleased. Her small hoop-earrings jingled as she began to address Naruto directly instead of throwing more deadly weapons his way.

"That is no way for a captain to act!" Ino snapped impatiently, her face set in that feminine annoyance only displayed upon a particularly vexing male. "If you're gonna go around bragging that you're a leader, then act like one! We don't need fancy speeches; _ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS_! Show some humility and self-respect! Stand tall and enter, then get the hell to your seat! That is how a true captain should be!"

Unlike Naruto, who the class was now having fairly mixed reactions to with his recent changes, Ino had no such reputes to her popularity with her peers. Cheers and applause rang out as the other girls of the class cheered Ino on for taking the new Naruto down a peg. The boys who liked Ino and didn't quite respect Naruto yet nodded to Ino's words as they applauded her.

"That's right, Ino! Make him show some respect!"

"Good show, Yamanaka, telling Uzumaki how it is!"

"You're right, Ino, as always!"

"Hmm," Naruto stood thoughtful for a moment before grinning up at Ino, giving her the same casual salute as before. "You're right, Ino, as per usual! A leader is one leading the way for others to follow. Good thinking, dattebayo!"

Ino nodded back at Naruto even while basking in the attention of their fickle classmates who were still hyped over her deconstruction of Naruto's new confidence. However, Ino was not as vain as she had once been. She watched Naruto closely as he made his way up to the highest row, which also happened to be the furthest in the back of the classroom. She noticed how he stopped for a moment to look at her shoes. Ino didn't understand why; her shoes were just the simple brown pair he had gotten for her a few weeks ago. They were light and made it easy to run and sneak around. She liked the shoes better than the shinobi combat sandals, at any rate.

Shikamaru was also watching Naruto, but he was keeping an eye on Ino as well. Far be it for the class princess to show anyone that she was actually hanging out with someone like Naruto on a daily basis. Ino obviously didn't want her reputation and public image ruined by being nice to Naruto in in public, much less their classroom where all the girls Ino liked to hang out with were in one place. Hmph, how troublesome…

Ino's eyes caught onto how Naruto's robes had changed since last she saw him. No longer was he wearing the solid white sash she had led him to purchase, but now it was replaced with an orange obi sash that had black stripes toward the ends. And the inside of his haori had changed as well, because Ino was damn sure that when they had purchased the long coat, the inside of it was colored a mellow turquoise, close in hue to her own beauty eye color rather than the garish bright orange he had apparently changed it to behind her back.

The nerve of that idiot!

* * *

Almost immediately after Naruto had taken a seat next to Shikamaru, Choji, and Kiba, their instructor, Iruka-sensei had entered the room with a pleasant expression. He greeted the class warmly, and they returned the greeting just as well. Iruka smiled up at all of them, however, he groaned silently to himself when he saw that Naruto had finally made a return to the classroom.

Not because Naruto was attending, but because he was still wearing that ridiculous getup as the blond had been for the past few weeks. Iruka hadn't even seen him buy the damn thing, but it appeared that Naruto had purchased another one with some added changes to the original. As much as it pained Iruka to admit it, Naruto really was one of the only people he knew who could pull off all that orange…

"NARUTO!" Iruka roared with the might of a lion, "WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! WE'VE BEEN GOING OVER IMPORTANT NEED-TO-KNOW INFORMATION AND EXERCISES FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS IF YOU WANT TO PASS YOUR EXAMS!"

"Mah, mah, Iruka-sensei…" Naruto waved Iruka's concerns off, "I'll be fine. I've been doing some highly important training of my own for the last month I've been away. I've become _way_ stronger than I was when you last saw me!"

"Hmph," Iruka sniffed, his expression prim and tight, "Is that so?"

Sasuke Uchiha had entered the classroom, setting all the girls on edge as they fawned over him.

Naruto smirked back at Iruka, "Darn straight! My training took me to whole new levels of awesome! Before a few weeks ago, I didn't even know half the moves I've learned were even possible!"

Sasuke moved through the class after greeting Iruka properly. He was just about to take his seat when Iruka spoke up again.

"Then you won't mind giving the class a demonstration of these… _moves_ , you called them? I'm very interested in seeing if you've actually been doing more than reading comics when you could have been learning with everyone else here in class."

Sasuke had a bad feeling about this…

Naruto slammed a hand to the desk, startling a few of his peers, "Of course! I'll knock the pants off anyone here! Any time, any place!"

Iruka turned to Sasuke, who looked like a startled deer by the way his teacher was now staring at him. "Sasuke, would you mind helping to showcase Naruto's new skills in combat… or lack thereof, later, if possible? I'd like for you two to give us a sparring demonstration for Taijutsu practice session today."

Before the Uchiha student could even get a word in edgewise, Naruto slammed his hand to the desk again, "Sasuke? You want me to go up against _Sasuke_ with all my new awesome super techniques? You've gotta be _kidding_ me, dattebayo!"

Instead of addressing Iruka-sensei as he should have, Sasuke turned back to stare up at the back of the class where the blond annoyance was currently sitting. "And just what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and put on a strained expression as though it would pain him to have to explain anything to Sasuke Uchiha.

"You just don't get it, do you?" Naruto shook his head and gave a sigh of long suffering. "You and me? We were equals before I left class on my own amazing super self-imposed training session, but now… there's just no comparison…"

"IDIOT!" Sakura Haruno bellowed, making some students wince at the volume of her voice, "YOU MAKE IT SOUND LIKE YOU SWAM ACROSS SEAS AND CLIMBED MOUNTAINS ACQUIRING ANCIENT KNOWLEDGE, OR SOMETHING!"

"YEAH!" another of the girls shouted, now roused to anger, "ALL YOU DID WAS A COUPLE OF WEEKS TO PROBABLY LOUNGE AROUND WATCHING TELEVISION!"

"DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO MY SASUKE!"

"YOUR SASUKE?"

"Fine… _our_ Sasuke!"

" _Marginally_ better. Thank you."

"My self-training might not have taken me out of the village," Naruto said with his arms still crossed, "but it _did_ afford me a boost in skill and strength. I'm at least _ten times_ stronger than before, dattebayo! That's why I've acquired the rank of Captain!"

"YOU DUMMY, YOU MADE UP THAT RANK TO MAKE YOURSELF SOUND COOLER!" Sakura snapped back at the blond moron. "DON'T ACT LIKE IT WA SOME KINDA HARD-EARNED PROMOTION!"

"NARUTO, STOP PRETENDING TO BE SOMETHING YOU'RE _OBVIOUSLY_ NOT!" another Sasuke-fangirl yelled, beside herself with fury on behalf of her crush.

Sakura turned to Ino, who by now usually jumped on Naruto as well whenever he thought he was better than Sasuke. "Ino! Say something here! Naruto thinks he can compete with _Sasuke_."

Ino blinked from where she was leaned over the desk, trying to convince Choji to let her borrow Volume 23 so she could finally catch up to them all in the series. "Huh? Oh…"

She looked over to where Sasuke was sitting, appearing supremely unconcerned with Naruto's chatter against him even though his face looked pinched. "Eh, Sasuke is a big boy. I'm sure he can take care of himself. In fact, he doesn't seem worried at all to me. So really, who even cares."

Sakura and all the other girls of the class gasped in unison. They were shocked by Ino's dismissive words. Even Sasuke himself arched an eyebrow, knowing that Ino was one of the fangirls who screamed the loudest wherever he walked in a room. Normally she was one of the most volatile tempers in class, leading the charge on any who dared to disrespect Sasuke's name without the slightest hesitation. Ino had even once thrown Marino Hinamori through a window just because he had said Sasuke wasn't "all that great".

Marino never took another window seat since that day…

While the class's Uchiha source of controversy was busy feeling sorry for poor, poor Marino Hinamori, Sakura had gained a smirk on her face.

She had figured out Ino's game.

"Ha!" Sakura crowed, a confident look on her face as she peered up at Ino, "I've got you pegged, Ino-pig. You're just trying to play it cool. Pretending you don't care. Using positive reinforcement so you can impress Sasuke. Well, you're fresh outta luck!"

"Did I give Sasuke a candy bar, or something?" Ino asked off-handedly, glancing over to see that Sasuke's head had turned toward her at the mention of getting a candy bar. "No, I did not."

"But you did offer encouragement through dismissal. I'm smarter than I look." Sakura sniffed, turning her nose up at her rival.

"Well, that doesn't take much effort… Hopefully…" Ino muttered, just loud enough for Sakura to hear.

"What'd you say?" Sakura seethed, but Ino pretended to ignore the pink-haired girl. "Ugh, INO! STOP TRYING TO BE COOL!"

"Haruno, you could only dream of being half as cool as I am." Ino shot back smoothly, making Sakura growl in anger.

"INO-PIG!" Ino's eye twitched at that one.

"BILLBOARD-BROW!"

"BLEACH-BLONDE BIMBO!"

"PINK-HAIRED BANSHEE!"

Iruka watched as the two girls dissolved into a glaring match across the classroom. He sighed as he collected chakra to perform a jutsu he had hoped he won't need so early in the day.

But of course, with Naruto finally back in class and all…

"SHUT UP, ALL OF YA!" Iruka's head grew to the size of a beast, his voice amplified to the extreme as it shook the room, "TAKE YOUR SEATS, AND GET YOUR BOOKS OUT! LEARNING STARTS NOW, AND IF YOU CAUSE ANYMORE TROUBLE I'LL KICK YOUR ASSES!"

And just like that, class had begun for the young prospective shinobi of Konoha's Ninja Academy. The lesson was nothing new, as the academy had been teaching about the infrastructure of ninja villages for as long as Iruka could remember. He lectured them on how the ninja system worked, how it was created, and how the squads were organized based on each ninja's talents displayed in the very academy his students were now sitting inside.

"Iruka-sensei!" Iruka pinched the bridge of his nose before even turning to the voice.

"No, Naruto, you may not be excused for a bathroom break. You'll just end up heckling Yukena-sensei for her lazy eye, or something…"

"No, that's not it." Naruto shook his head, looking a bit confused. He hadn't made fun of Yukena-sensei's eye-thing for a long time. At least a few months… "I wanted to know about the squads. How many are there?"

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the question, but was happy none the less. Naruto rarely paid any lecture its due attention.

 _Maybe he really has changed_ …

"Hmm," Iruka thought about it for a second. "As of right now, I believe that only three squads are active."

"Why only three? Shouldn't we have at least… Oh, I don't know… Somewhere around _thirteen_ active squads at all time?" the blond inquired, looking deeply perplexed.

Iruka smiled at Naruto's newly inquisitive nature. Better that the blue-eyed troublemaker has his questions instead of running around the village like a delinquent. "No, Naruto, I'm afraid that is not the case here. You see, the village has maybe ten active squads at any given time, but those squads are made up from Genin-level ninja working together."

"Three Genin-ninja to a team with a Jonin-sensei to guide them. Once a Genin of the squad is promoted, they acquire the rank of Chunin. Normally it is then that the squad is broken up so the new Chunin can be assigned to patrols, village organizations, more dangerous missions, or even to lead Genin-ninja into missions on their own merit. The other Genin of the team would then go to where their abilities would best serve the village. However, in rare cases, the squad stay together with the Chunin leading their teammates on missions regularly. Does that make sense to you, Naruto?"

Naruto's expression was strained, but he nodded to convey he understood. "Yeah, yeah, I get it… We go from Academy students, or division members… to Genin-level ninja, or active Seated members, if you will."

"Yes, that's right. Though they are squads, not divisions. Squads usually consists of any number between three and twelve shinobi. A division of the village's ninja could be a lot higher."

"Jeez, it's just a reference…" Naruto groused, but continued onward even while Iruka was left sputtering, "If division members are just people who deal with all the paperwork and everyday duties of the division, then normal civilians and Academy students like us could fill that role. Cleaning the building, organizing paperwork, overseeing recruitment, training under Seated members—I mean, Genin shinobi… Yeah, so we can totally do all that!"

"Naruto, you're getting off track…"

Naruto ignored his sensei, nodding to himself. "And Seated members take on missions. They do all the real work by completing missions before they get promoted through the ranks to something like Fifth, Fourth, or even Third Seat of their division!"

"There are no seated positions in the shinobi system!" Iruka corrected, looking a little uneasy. Naruto was running with naïve ideals. "You move up from Genin to Chunin if you've proven yourself ready for the extra responsibility through an exam."

"Yeah, but my way of thinking makes more sense…" Naruto nodded to himself again, caught up in his own little world. "It allows more room for error… umm, without welcoming a higher level of danger than the person can properly take on, dattebayo. Chunin should be ranked between Fifth and Third Seat."

"No, Naruto. That's not how it goes. The ranks are as follows: Civilian, Academy Student, Genin, Chunin, Special Jonin, Jonin, ANBU Black Ops, and Hokage." Iruka frowned a bit more than he wanted. "People smarter than me and you created this system for shinobi to follow."

"Well it's pretty dumb to me…" Naruto waved a hand dismissively. Just because a bunch of wrinkled old prunes sat down and made something didn't make it good or meant it withstood the test of time. "If there are Special Jonin, then why not Special Chunin, or Special Genin. And why do the ANBU rank higher than Jonin? You should be splitting hairs at the lower levels of foundation, not near the top! You can't tell me that the ANBU do something that a Jonin can't do, or that a Special Jonin is so much stronger than a Chunin that they deserve their own rank just like that!"

"Naruto…" Sakura groaned as she banged her head to the desk. The others in the class were muttering about Naruto's stirring arguments, and all she wanted to do was show how smart she was by answering the class question. Sasuke was sure to be impressed by how thoroughly she had memorized the material. " _ **Smart girls are sexy**_! _**Cha**_!"

"All I'm saying is we should divide the ranks a little more evenly. Besides, that would make Special Jonin into Lieutenants, which is kind of understandable if Jonin-ninja are Captain-level. Jonin lead really dangerous missions and also teach Genin-squads, right?"

Iruka rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. "Yes, Naruto, that's right."

Naruto crossed his arms and nodded in self-satisfaction. "Then that means that while Special Jonin took care of supervising daily operations, the Jonin would do all the really important work while also reporting directly to the Hokage… The Head-Captain or Captain-Commander, if you will."

"I will not, and I think you need to learn these real facts before dreaming up your own system to govern shinobi affairs, Naruto." Iruka said sternly, his own arms crossed in a much firmer fashion. But then he smiled, glad that Naruto was at least participating in class, "Who knows? Maybe if you speak to Lord Hokage, he'll even entertain your ideas for more than a few seconds."

The others students chuckled at the subtle dig against Naruto by Iruka, but the blond boy was not deterred. He would speak to the old man about his ideas, but probably not that same day. It was still pretty rough in the making, so Naruto would need time in order to iron out all the details.

* * *

As the lesson got back on track with its normal pace, Naruto remained quiet for the rest of the afternoon, only answering when he was called upon. Iruka was in a very good mood with Naruto's behavior so well, and even allowed the class to take a ten-minute break since he was able to get through his lecture earlier than he would have thought. Iruka left the class to prepare the field for weapons practice while the class was allowed to mingle amongst themselves for the time.

"Come on, Choji!" Ino stressed, pulling at the chubby boy's arm. "Just let me borrow it!"

"But I can't!" Choji whined, feeling his arm hurt from Ino's strength, "I don't even have it!"

"Yes you do! You were the one who had it last!" the blonde girl accused, "I need to catch up with you guys! Stop being a jerk. Don't you know you're supposed to give a lady whatever she wants."

"I don't see any ladies around here…" Shikamaru muttered, being sure that only Ino and the guys heard him.

Ino rounded on him quickly.

"You wanna repeat that, Nara!?"

"…I'd rather not, thanks. Besides, Choji can't give you something he doesn't have. We keep all the books at Naruto's house so they don't get lost or damaged."

"Liar!" Ino accused, pointing a finger dramatically at Shikamaru, "You brought Volume 17 to the park that one time! And Kiba takes books home all the time."

Shikamaru, Choji, and Naruto all rounded on Kiba, who was sweating minutely.

"Uh oh… Looks like the jig is up, Akamaru…" Kiba mumbled weakly to his canine companion while the others pinned him with glares.

"Kiba, you moron. Those books aren't supposed to leave Naruto's house unless we tell each other about it. And that is supposed to be on _very_ _rare_ occasions." Shikamaru sighed as the troublesome mutt would give him a headache over this.

"Yeah, man. What if they get lost or stolen while with you? Then we'd be out a volume from the entire collection! That'd be like missing a piece from a puzzle." Naruto shook his head with disapproval.

"Hey! Some of us have chores and training when we go home! I need to take the books home if I wanna keep ahead of Ino… We all know she's a gossipy shrew when it comes to lording over the likes of us…" Kiba defended himself, right up until Ino grabbed him by his fur collar. Akamaru whimpered in fright as Ino got in Kiba's face.

"What'd you say, you housebroken mutt?" Ino snarled as Kiba wouldn't back down from her.

"I called you a shrew, you nosy gossip! All you do is talk about every detail after you've read it. And then you like to talk about who's dating who in the comic. It's not about that, or the way they dress. It's an action manga, so why do you feel the need to tell us about how good a wife Rukia will make Renji?"

"Because Renji and Rukia obviously love each other very much, you tasteless swine!" Ino snapped back at Kiba, making Akamaru cower in the boy's jacket.

"Says the girl called Ino-Pig… Jeez, why don't you just give it a rest— _Arck_! _Ugh_!"

Ino was strangling Kiba, throttling him without mercy as Choji and Naruto quickly jumped into the mix in order to ensure Ino didn't commit murder.

Iruka had returned, and seeing Kiba's pale face with his soul slowly ascending to the afterlife he was fairly disturbed. Ino was still choking his limp body, with Naruto and Choji off in the corner clutching each other in fear with many bruises and Naruto having a quickly healing black-eye each. Shikamaru had his head down, snoring coming from where he was obviously taking a nap to avoid the situation. The rest of the class was giving the furious Ino wide-berth as they watched in fear. Sasuke had Akamaru in his arms, gently petting the dog's fur as he stared at Ino with apprehension.

Iruka could only sigh at the scene in front of him. It would seem that despite his thoughts earlier, it was indeed going to be a long day now that Naruto was back in class…

* * *

 **So, this was just a nice chapter to show some passage of time and how everything is coming up _Bleach_ with Naruto and his friends. It is also to show that while Naruto has always taken his training seriously, he's now taken it to a _whole new level_ of intensity. The next few chapters will display more of a "Slice of Life" vibe, but that's okay because after that will be the main plot picking back up.**

 **Next up: Naruto vs Sasuke! The Divisions finally take form!**

 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	5. Foundation of Divisions, Part 1

**A/N: Sorry for how absent I've been. Take this chapter as my apology gift!**

 **Chapter 5: Foundation of Divisions, Part 1: Foundation**

* * *

Kiba stared ahead of himself at the target dummies that were randomly scattered across the school yard for them to practice on. He hated weapons practices. The kunai and shuriken the Academy gave them were always a different weight and balance. Each and every time they were dragged out for this torture Iruka expected them to learn how to pick up a throwing star or knife, and instantly feel for its weight and balance before using the ninja tools.

Ugh… What Kiba wouldn't give to just be in Taijutsu practice already…

"All right. I've got the field all ready for you guys and girls to begin." Mizuki said with a smile on his face. His shoulder-length white hair always gave Kiba the idea he was trying to dye it, mostly because of the light blue hue it had when it caught light. And the guy's smile never reached his green eyes, which were dull and cold. Kiba supposed that came with being a ninja, but didn't like to think about it too often.

He didn't want to ponder how the happiness and warmth would one day leave his own eyes.

"Kiba Inuzuka!" Iruka's voice snapped Kiba out of his thoughts.

And suddenly he realized that much more time had passed than he wanted.

It was already his turn.

Oh, well, Kiba figured as he rolled up his sleeves and grinned cockily. It seemed it was now time for everyone to get a taste of the awesome that was Kiba Inuzuka.

* * *

"That was just… _bad_ , Kiba. I _almost_ feel sorry for you." Ino said, shaking her head and not bothering to hide her cruel laughter at Kiba's pain. She slapped another helping of healing salve on the cut he had managed to give himself along his shoulder, making Kiba yelp and hiss in pain.

"Yow, Ouch! What the hell are you doing, woman!? I'm injured! You have to be more careful." Kiba complained, his whining falling on deaf ears as Ino was the only one among their group of friends who knew how to properly apply the ointment.

"I'm sorry, all I heard just then was, 'Wah, I'm crybaby Kiba and after trying to showoff I made myself look like a complete nimrod before crawling to grovel at Ino's feet for the healing salve she and Hinata Hyuga worked so hard to make.' Did I hear you right, little crybaby Kiba? Because that seemed true to me." Ino replied happily, slapping more balm along Kiba's arm where more cuts and scrapes were. "We only just made this stuff a few days ago. We were supposed to show it to my parents to see if it could be sold in the shop, but I guess me and Hinata will just have to use you as our test dummy like all the ones you didn't hit in practice."

Kiba winced when Ino gave unnecessary pats to the paste in order to ensure it was properly setting into his wounds. "I hit one."

"No, Choji threw that one after it flung back at him from where you let it fly. Naruto and Shikamaru threw more when the shuriken clattered at their feet, but Iruka-sensei saw them throw those. He didn't see Choji because he was too busy ducking under the one you flung his way." Ino rolled her eyes.

"I thought I had it under control this time. They were all so heavy…" Kiba said, more to himself than Ino.

Ino, however, commented anyway. "That's because they were all _real_ this time. If you paid attention in class, you'd remember that Iruka-sensei and Mizuki-sensei told us yesterday that today's practice would be with untampered standard kunai and shuriken."

"…Because we're now halfway into the year and the exams are coming up… Dammit, how could I forget!?" Kiba would have hit himself if he weren't already in such pain.

"Maybe because you've been spending too much time trying to act cool instead of training. You've fallen behind even Shikamaru, and he doesn't even _do_ anything! Instead of getting better, you've actually allowed yourself to get worst by attempting to look great instead of _being_ great."

Kiba could only give a sigh of deep suffering.

"And stop that, you dolt! You need to focus! You're too annoying to end up not being good at anything! I mean… geez, just look at Naruto for a prime example. He's ten times more aggravating than you and he's the best out of our five." Ino wiped her hands on a towel she had at her side. "Then again… the others are nearly just as useless as you, even Naruto…"

Ino clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Shikamaru is too lazy to do any exercise… Choji only wants to eat his weight in junk food and make nice with everyone… You can't hit the side of a building with all your showboating… And Naruto still can only make clones that look like they've died of an asthma attack. Ugh, why are all you boys so damn useless! You all lack focus and if I had a bamboo stick right about now, I would shove it—"

Kiba was kind of glad Ino hadn't finished her rant. She could be really graphic when it came to punishing them for what she perceived as damage against her reputation.

The reason she didn't get to finish is because both he and Ino spied Naruto have an animated conversation with the Third Hokage. Whatever the two were talking about had the leader of their village smiling and Naruto making a lot of over the top hand gestures.

"Pssh, Kiba," Ino whispered under her breath, "can you hear them? What're they saying?"

Kiba gave her the skunk eye, "I'm not an actual dog, ya know! Despite what people like to say about my family, we are not part animal or dogs given human form!"

"Idiot," Ino whacked him over the head, "I asked because you do have impressive hearing, part mutt or not! I can read lips, but Naruto is always talking too fast or mixing up his words. Now tell me what they're saying!"

"Alright, all right… Geez, you're such a pain…" Kiba sighed as he focused intently on Naruto and the Third Hokage. He steadied his mind on them and them alone.

* * *

"…and you'll have to limit yourself so as not to hurt others. You have a good foundation of skills now, and with any luck you'll pass the exams with the rest of your year." The Third Hokage's voice was aged and wise, like that of a grandfather who loved all his grandchildren equally.

"That's no fun!" Naruto whined, a pitiful look on his face, "Head-Captain, you're punishing me for no reason! It's not my fault if I'm more awesome than everyone around me!"

"Be that as it may," the Hokage's voice brokered no argument, "You will be at the Hokage building after school today, Naruto. If you are truly to become a Captain upon your graduation, then you'll follow my orders to the letter. And if not… you'll receive nothing but a sound thrashing!"

Naruto's face paled and he quivered before the stern look on the elder ninja's face. "Okay, okay! I'll be there! Please don't roast me alive!"

The Hokage tipped his hat to hide his smile as he turned toward the exit. "Good, then I'll see you there. You'll have dinner with my family today, so save your appetite."

Naruto watched the Hokage's exit with a moody look on his face. He crossed his arms over his white coat. "Hmph, making me hold back to a fourth of my own awesomeness after today… I can't believe that old fart…"

The temperature rose noticeably, and Naruto flinched in panic as he offered up apologizes to a Hokage that was no longer there. The room returned to normal, making the blond breathe a sigh of relief.

* * *

Ino, behind Kiba, only shook her head. "Well, that sure was weird."

"You're telling me. I never knew Naruto was so close to the Hokage. Just when you think you know a guy…"

"Not that, you dolt! I was talking about their conversation!" Ino snapped, but Kiba seemed to be ignoring her.

"Then again, the Hokage didn't even seem to notice that Naruto was referring to him as Head-Captain. Not that it matters really. The position of Hokage is pretty much the same as that of the Head Captain."

"And what about Naruto's training?" Ino questioned, resting her hands atop Kiba's head. "It was supposed to help him perform the Clone Jutsu, but it failed. He still can't use it to make passable clones. So why would the Third Hokage want Naruto to limit himself? Did he really get that strong over such a short amount of time?"

"Definitely a lot more questions than answers, that's for sure." Kiba got to his feet and stretched, feeling the cuts and scrapes from earlier twitch with barely noticeable pain. He then took a second to stare at Ino. "I'm kind of surprised you knew about Naruto's training, though. He didn't even tell me. It must be the fact that he brought you that outfit. To think Naruto's losing his mind to a girl already—KUH!"

Ino had punched him in the stomach, her face bright red as her eyes blazed with an embarrassed fury the likes of which Kiba had never seen before today. The other hand was trying to her clothes, purple top and all. Naruto had gifted her with the set at her request—more like _demand_ —before leaving for his training.

If not for her attitude and fickle nature, Ino would have been a perfect woman. She was already a fair-skinned beauty with teal eyes and long platinum-blonde hair she kept in a ponytail that reached just down past her shoulder blades. The bangs framing the right side of her face didn't hide her beauty, or the glare she was now pinning Kiba under to make him feel small and stupid. She wore a black, backless, sleeveless undershirt that was easily seen from the opening of her purple over-shirt with two white straps on each shoulder. Ino stopped trying to cover herself in order to stand up straight and appear unaffected and strong. She placed a hand on the large beige sash around her waist above her hips. Black stretch pants were tight against Ino's legs, trailing down to disappear under a pair of beige leg warmers and simple brown shoes.

In this attire, Ino looked every bit the part of Yoruichi Shihōin, ex-Commander of the Stealth Force and Captain of the Second Division.

In fact, that was exactly what Ino had specified when she throttled Naruto and made him purchase her outfit.

Of course, when Ino's parents had found out about the whole thing, they told Ino had gotten herself a boyfriend. That had been quite the distraction from their training. Unfortunately, it ended with Ino beating them all to a pulp for even being there to witness her parents come to the conclusion that Naruto and she were now dating. Lucky for Naruto, he had already left on his own self-imposed training and so did not incur Ino's wraith, which lasted a few days before she cooled off and they—as her friends—stopped making jokes about two blondes sitting in a tree making a dozen blonde babies. That had gotten them a sound beating that took three days to recover from.

"Naruto told us about his trip before he left. You simply forgot, moron. And… if you ever bring that incident with these clothes up again… I'll kill you!" was all she said before she turned on heel and walked away with an aura of fury surrounding her. Kids made quick to clear a path of her wrath.

Kiba sighed. He would be walking on eggshells for a week now.

* * *

"You should stop antagonizing her. Otherwise, she'll be the death of you." Choji said as he quietly snacked on his bag of chips.

He, Kiba, and Shikamaru were sitting on the sidelines as the others were called up for their sparring matches against one another. All three had already participated, with Shikamaru and Choji fighting each other to a stalemate and Kiba having scraped up a win against Shino. Some of the girls had fought as well. Hinata and Ino battled it out in an unusually fierce manner. Hinata went into the fight with aggression from who knows where, trying her best to beat Ino. The blonde girl put up a good fight, but eventually lost thanks to how aggressive Hinata was. Ino walked off the mat muttering about how she wasn't stealing anyone's man, but no one understand what she was talking about.

"Or maybe Hinata will kill her first. You can only hope." Shikamaru said in a hushed tone. "Honestly, I've never seen that girl so fired up before. She really did a number on Ino. I thought for sure that Iruka-sensei or Mizuki-sensei would have to get her off Ino with the way she was attacking."

"Hinata scares me a little…" Kiba admitted, but then shook his head to get back on topic "But Ino makes snipping with her so easy! She has a bad attitude and needs to be brought down a peg more often."

"Kiba, she is our friend. We should like her for who she is." Choji said, ever the nice guy if there ever was one. Though Kiba noticed that the chubbier boy wasn't making even the least polite gesture to share his snacks.

Because no one got between an Akimichi and his snacks…

"I agree with Choji on this one. Ino is a girl. And like women, girls are troublesome. All they do is nag and make you buy them things and force you to agree with them. You have to do what they say. That's just the way the world works. Its hierarchy at its finest." Shikamaru sighed, scratching under his chin.

"Yeah, but Hinata isn't like that." Naruto said as he came up beside them. He stopped short of sitting with his friends, instead taking the time to do stretches as he would probably be called up soon for his spar against Sasuke. "Me and her don't talk much, but she seems really nice and quiet. She gets all red when I'm around her though, so I think she's allergic to something I'm wearing or something. Maybe it's my plants back home."

Naruto took the chance between stretches to sniff himself. "Maybe the pollen or something gets on me before school? Yeah, that sounds about right."

The others only gave him deadpan looks as he went ignored.

Naruto went back to stretching, bringing his right arm across his body and moving with a groan. "But I have to agree with Kiba on this one. Ino is really bossy and has a huge problem with being vain. I mean, we're supposed to be her friends and she still acts like a snob around us. I try to be really nice to her, and all she does is hit us!"

A cold chill ran down the spines of the boys as they all stood up ram-rod straight. Behind them, they could feel the eyes of a predator about to rip the throat of its prey out.

"I had no idea you boys felt I was such a burden." Ino spoke in a slow and deliberate tone.

Naruto felt her hand on his shoulder like the claw of a beast. He turned mechanically to her, seeing that she was actually not glaring at him, but smiling sweetly.

A little too sweetly.

"Perhaps I can stand to be a bit nicer to you all." She stared deeply into Naruto's eyes, as if trying to suck out his soul. "Especially you, Naruto."

He gulped. He didn't like this side of Ino. It unnerved him.

"That is…" Ino said slowly before smiling brightly at him and batting her eyelashes, "if you buy me this really cute ribbon I saw the other day! It looks just like the type that Yoruichi has around her neck!"

The boys all face-faulted. Of course, Ino would need gifts to mellow her out!

Ino then rolled her eyes, dropping the sugary sweet smile she had on her face. "Geez, I'm not that bad… You boys need me to kick you in gear. None of you would train half as hard if I didn't nag you. Especially you, Shikamaru!"

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief that Ino wasn't going to kill them for talking behind her back. "The training and stuff is completely different than what we're talking about. We're talking about how you hit us even though we're nice to you. You smacked me upside the head when I bought you that outfit you're wearing!"

She smacked him upside the head right then before putting him in a chokehold with a murderous expression. "Don't say that so loud, you idiot! I already have my parents thinking you're my boyfriend, I don't want any of our classmates thinking I'd date a loser like you!"

Naruto glared right back at her, even though he couldn't breathe. "Well, I wouldn't go out with you anyway! Even if I was paid, dattebayo! You're mean and a snob. I'm nice to you, and all you do is insult me and try to kill me."

"I said I'd be nicer from now on," though she was still cutting off his supply of oxygen.

"You could start with letting him breath, Ino." Shikamaru drawled dryly, watching as Naruto's soul floated out of his mouth and his face went purple. Ino blinked twice before dropping her fellow blond like a sack of potatoes. Kiba and Choji moved quickly, stuffing Naruto's soul back into his body. The blond came back to life, gasping for sweet, sweet air like there was no tomorrow.

Ino didn't apologize for nearly killing him, deciding that her freshly polished nails were more important than his life at the moment.

Despite everything though, Naruto knew that Ino was their friend. If he had been anyone else, there would have been no return from people even dreaming that the two of them were dating.

Poor, poor Kenogi… He would forever be dearly missed…

* * *

"Let's have Naruto Uzumaki face off against Sasuke Uchiha for the final sparring session. Naruto, here goes your chance to prove yourself." From the crowd, Naruto and Sasuke took to the center of the training hall, both stepping onto the sparring mat from opposite ends.

Sasuke looked at Naruto standing there with a smile on his face. After all the boasting the dope had done earlier that day, Sasuke wanted nothing more than to wipe that smile off his loser face.

The blue-eyed Captain watched as Sasuke approached the center of the mat. The two made dramatic eye contact with each other, and Naruto saw the Uchiha smirk at him as if to say that he couldn't be beaten. Naruto only smiled back as he walked over to Sasuke. As he moved toward the last of the Uchiha, the blond discarded his Captain's haori, throwing it to Hinata whose face went crimson red upon clumsily catching it.

She dimly noticed that the haori was exceptionally long for what was common about them. Normally the thin and coat-like attire would go no further than the knees, but from what she saw of Naruto's haori showed that his stopped around the ankles. Hinata also took note of the bottom hem of the garment, where there was an alternating pattern of back circles and diamonds. In the center of the haori was a black rhombus with the kanji for the number five.

Hinata looked up to where Naruto and Sasuke were settling into fighting stances to begin their sparing match. She was curious to what the five meant on the jacket. But that was when she got her first look at Naruto's new attire without the haori obstructing her view.

It made her gasp in shock.

Was he… Was her Naruto wearing the Garment of Dead Souls?! It might not have been obvious to many since the practice had fallen out of time since the First Great Shinobi War, but the _Shihakushō_ was still employed in the funerals of highly respected and noble people to this day as a time-honored tradition. For Naruto to be wearing one so casually… so boldly…

Well, it basically meant that he was dressed to die at any moment.

For a ninja, it made for the perfect bit of situational irony that was not lost on the Hyuga clan heiress, but it still worried her to see her crush and all-time favorite blonde wearing the black robes with white garments underneath.

At least he still added his flair to it, she thought in a bid to keep her nerves from doing her in. The orange _obi_ sash was a nice touch, and definitely screamed Naruto Uzumaki.

Iruka-sensei raised a hand in order to signal that the fight would begin. The two had long since refused to make the seals for confrontation and reconciliation. Instead, the two merely nodded in acknowledgement of each other.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you, Sasuke. Just because we're rivals and all…" Naruto said while sliding into a relaxed stance. It confused Hinata, as she had never seen this stance from Naruto or anyone else before. She was evidently not the only one confused by it as her peers around her began muttering amongst themselves about Naruto's new fighting stance and what type of fighting style would come from it. The casual posture suggested invitation, and even Sasuke had blinked upon seeing it. Naruto's stance was like an open invite for Sasuke to challenge him, as if to say that the Uchiha would come to him and lose at his leisure.

"You and I are rivals? Someone should have told me." Sasuke replied, then smirked even harder. "I would have let them know that I don't lower myself to play around with fools like you."

"Hn, we'll see who the fool is soon enough." Naruto shot back, tightening his fists. It was a small sign that despite his casual expression, Sasuke's barbs could still aggravate him no matter what.

As Iruka-sensei dropped his hand, calling the match to begin, Hinata hid her face in Naruto's haori as her blond crush and the Uchiha survivor shot at each other.

When she finally gathered the courage to see what was going on, Hinata was amazed to Naruto doing so well. Before today, Sasuke would dominate their spars with well-timed punches before sweeping Naruto's legs from under him. However, now Naruto was more than keeping pace with the last Uchiha as the two fought in a flurry of fists, blocking and twisting as neither wanted to give ground to the other. Naruto seemed to have gained a better foundation for his brawler-style Taijutsu. Instead of the overextended haymakers and left hooks, he was now keeping to speedy jabs as he ducked and weaved through the punches Sasuke sent his way.

And there! Just as Sasuke flowed into a punch Naruto got on his right shoulder, going for the leg sweep, Naruto leapt quick and brought his legs up together to the point where his shoes clapped together.

That seemed to be the signal to bring kicks into the skirmish. Naruto lashed out with a flowing two kick combo, forcing Sasuke to block. The Uchiha was definitely surprised by Naruto's new moves, as was everyone else. Sasuke flipped back twice before skidding to the very end of his side of the mat. Naruto smirked at seeing his rival give ground. He took the break in their fight to catch his breath, smoothly regaining his stance while calming his combat fury.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto. He switched his stance slightly, bringing his left hand forward and his right leg back. It was to say that he was now going to take Naruto seriously. Naruto responded by rooting himself in his place, going rigid as he watched the Uchiha survivor with focus.

"That idiot Naruto is actually doing it…" one of the boys in the back muttered aloud.

"Yeah, normally it'd be over by now…" another agreed shortly after.

"He must have worked really hard to get so good in such a short amount of time. Maybe we _should_ start addressing him as Captain…"

"DON'T BE STUPID!" Sakura screeched, making Hinata flinch and cover her ears. "SASUKE-KUN IS ONLY PLAYING AROUND TO HUMOR NARUTO! THERE'S NO WAY THAT NARUTO-BAKA CAN WIN!"

"If he wins, he wins." Ino shrugged, "Sasuke sees it, and so can all of us. Naruto has improved, and if Sasuke isn't careful… Naruto could get lucky and Sasuke could be beaten here."

Naruto grinned wide upon hearing the shocked gasps of their classmates. "You hear that, Sasuke. Sounds like you're in trouble."

"Don't get cocky, dope. You've got some solid form now, I'll give you that. But you're a hundred years too soon in fighting an Uchiha."

"You're the last Uchiha." Naruto stated as he narrowed his eyes.

"And a hundred years hasn't pasted just yet." Sasuke retorted smoothly, making Naruto snarl. Hinata could easily see that he was itching to recommence the fight.

Naruto lost patience, charging at Sasuke with a roar of wrath. The Uchiha met him head-on, blocking his first few jabs before kicking Naruto in the side. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's leg and flung him back, but Sasuke easily recovered with a flip. However, Naruto was upon him again quickly, burying his fist in Sasuke's gut before spinning with a leg sweep. Sasuke backflipped over it, kicking Naruto in the chin as he did. The two recovered and snapped back to brawling against one another in the same heartbeat.

It was still easy for Hinata's well trained eyes to keep pace with the match. Sasuke still moved with grace and efficiency, his economy of movement in synchronization with his precision and power. Hinata could easily tell that he was well prepared for the day he acquired his Sharingan. The early years he had spent training with the Uchiha clan—may they find peace in the afterlife—had obviously been spent greatly. Taijutsu, ninjutsu, probably a few genjutsu. Sasuke was a well-rounded fighter, and his style of block, dodge, and counterattack showed it to great effect. His kicks were swift and precise, hitting Naruto's chest or even ankles whenever the blond came in too close. His punches, even when dodged, turned into grapples that caught Naruto off guard long enough for Sasuke to string together a series of jabs that would leave Naruto with a few bruises the next day. Sasuke was a genius, and probably would continue to grow strong enough to give even her cousin Neji a run for his money in Taijutsu.

Naruto, on the other hand, was quickly shaping up to be a monster of combat. Hinata had always held a brand of favoritism toward her blond crush, but this was not one of her fangirl moments. She watched as Naruto used his unpredictable nature to string toward weird combination attacks that not only kept Sasuke on his toes, but pushed him back great. Flipping onto hands and lashing out with your feet? Who did that aside from Naruto? Doing a split in order to quickly deliver punches to your enemy's thighs, effectively attacking your opponent's sturdy stance and making their constitution weaker for the rest of the match? Only Naruto! Not only was her blond affection making ingenious on-the-fly plans, but was backing them up with strength, speed, and unnerving precision as though he had been hellbent on this fight for ages. His punches, even when blocked, seemed to send shockwaves through Sasuke's body, while still being fast enough that even the Uchiha couldn't outright dodge or block a flurry of fists aimed to take his head from his shoulders. Naruto's kicks were fast, but were long and sweeping. He seemed to move his legs as though he had practiced kicking through water. Hinata remembered her own such training, and Naruto's leg attacks reminded her of the first stages of it.

Sasuke leapt back from a powerful kick Naruto sent sweeping toward his legs. Getting out of Naruto's range was now the most effective way of avoiding taking any more of the blond's strong offensive. A month ago, all Sasuke would have to do is see the highly-telegraphed attacks as they came at him, unpredictable or not. Naruto had lacked both the speed and basic foundation to make his attacks work against him. His stance had been flimsy at best and his defense was nonexistent. Naruto had been a horse, powerful and strong until he ran out of stamina, but very limited in his attacks and very predictable when he moved.

Now, however, Naruto was a monkey. Strong, unpredictable, fast, smart, and with even his basic foundation could use it in a hundred different ways as monkeys learned to use sticks and rocks the same way. Sasuke smirked though. While Naruto had certainly moved up the food chain, a monkey still could not compete with a tiger. Deadly, precise, and with the strength, speed, and intellect to use it all for the killing blow.

"You've still a long way to go before you beat me, dope." Sasuke said, probably not for the first or last time that day. His thighs were aching and his arms felt like rubber. Naruto had been dogged today, and if he didn't end things quickly, the blond Uzumaki would surely win a war of attrition.

"Your legs are looking a little shaky there, Sasuke." Naruto was smirking, but he couldn't hide the red bruises that were forming on his hands or the way he leaned heavily on his left leg because Sasuke had been steadily attacking his right one. "You were my equal before, but now I'm gonna take you outta the equation. I will stand alone at the top. Neither you, nor the gods will ascend to my level."

"Were you crawling along in the dirt to begin with, Naruto?" That had to be the first time Sasuke had used his name in class. Sure, he had said it once or twice when crossing paths with Naruto out in the village, but never before in the presence of their other classmates. The fangirls gasped as that was as good a confession of acknowledge as anyone could get from Sasuke Uchiha. The only girls whose names he used were Hinata, Ino, and Sakura, which made the latter two girls the undisputed leaders of the Sasuke Fanclub.

Well, more Sakura than Ino over the last couple of months…

Naruto chuckled softly. Ominously. The very air in the training hall changed as though it dropped several degrees. Everyone felt tense as the way Naruto at Sasuke changed from fiery rivalry to something akin to a deity staring down at a mere mortal. He even relaxed his stance, making Sasuke tense in his own, as he stood straight up.

"Your arrogance is excessive, Uchiha-san." Naruto said in a cool, detached manner. It was still highly respectful, as though the two were old comrades or something. "No one was standing in the Heavens to begin with."

"If he takes things too far…" Shikamaru was muttering to Choji and Kiba behind Hinata, who was standing near Ino.

"Yeah, we know… We can't let him kill Sasuke in front of everyone. That'd be hella bad for our new little fledging organization…" Kiba muttered back, and with her impressive vision, Hinata was able to see even Ino nod from where she was, silently listening to Shikamaru with her apparent friends.

But then… when did Ino become familiar with Kiba and Naruto? And why would Naruto kill Sasuke?

Regardless, Hinata prepared herself to assist in any way possible. Naruto would get in trouble for attempted murder.

Oh, and she didn't want Sasuke to die either. Not particularly, at least.

"Not you. Nor myself. Not even the gods…" Naruto was going on, his presence steadily becoming stronger and stronger until the air around them became thick and heavy with his chakra. "However, Sasuke Uchiha…"

Naruto reached up to flatten his hair back, and now even Iruka-sensei seemed anxious about what was going on. Mizuki simply looked confused by the whole drama. As was basically everyone else in the class.

"…That unbearable vacancy in the throne of Heaven will finally come to an end." Sasuke glared at Naruto's words. They sounded as crazy as crazy came.

"From now on…" Naruto's power rose until several of their classmates, even Sakura and Shino, fell to their knees gasping for breath. "I will stand alone in Heaven!"

Iruka looked to be about to jump at Naruto, but Hinata was surprised when she saw a wrinkled hand grasp his shoulder from behind. She couldn't see who the hand belonged to, as they seemed to blend in perfectly with Iruka's shadow, but since her impressive vision managed to catch only the hand, she could guess as to their secret audience who could stay Iruka's oversight of the match.

"Farewell, Sasuke Ishida Uchiha…" Sasuke's eyes widened impossibly at Naruto's use of his name with an odd middle name. They weren't from Suna or Iwa, so the use of a middle name for a Konoha resident was very strange. "I must admit that for a mere mortal, even one from the Uchiha clan, you were especially interesting."

Sasuke's teeth grit in either rage or confusion. Naruto turned his back on Sasuke, who looked absolutely livid at that moment—

But then, Naruto seemed to disappear and reappear right in front of him. Naruto had even placed his hand on Sasuke's shoulder!

"GHAW!"

Naruto had reared back and headbutted Sasuke!

The Uchiha went down hard and fast, screaming in agony as Naruto merely stood over him with his forehead bleeding. Then the blond walked off as though Sasuke were not worth the effort.

Yet and still, Hinata's keen eyesight did not fail her. She saw that when Naruto flashed across the mat to appear in front of the lone Uchiha, he had left something behind in his wake. They looked like chokers, or even wristbands. However, they were leaving heavy impressions in the thick safety mat.

" _Weights…?! Naruto has been wearing weights? But when did he get them, and how long had he been wearing them_?" Hinata thought in shock as she saw Naruto pick them up and keep his back toward everyone so no one could see him and his weights. They had to be heavy enough to make up the difference in speed, but Hinata had more than once glimpsed the ankle weights that Sasuke wore, so she knew that they two were more than likely still in the same league of speed at the moment.

When Naruto finally turned back, adjusting his _Shihakushō_ from wherever he had hidden his weights on his person, the rest of the class had finally snapped out of their stupor.

Mizuki ran over to Sasuke to see that the boys forehead was bleeding and was already forming a painful-looking knot right in the cetner. "Geez, that fox brat really did a number on him. The Uchiha brat is gonna look like a long-lost unicorn for a few days if he doesn't get that checked out quickly." Mizuki's respect for Naruto when up a bit for him taking the last of the arrogant Uchiha clan down a peg or two, but not enough for him not to kill the fox demon in his sleep if he had the chance to get away with it.

"Naruto Uzumaki is the winner." Mizuki announced, raising his hand while the other hand went to help Sasuke to his feet. Sasuke smacked the hand away before glaring at the floor as he swiftly rose up under his own strength. Sasuke's fists were clenched tight at his sides, but he didn't look up at Naruto at all. Instead, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and marched away from everyone and everything as he exited the hall without permission. Though Mizuki could understand why. Beaten by the fox freak and needing medical attention in order to not look like a mutant was perfectly acceptable as an excuse.

As Naruto approached her to reclaim his haori, Hinata became embarrassed. She had draped it over her shoulders and held it close without thinking. Now her crush saw her hugging his coat and was smiling at her!

"Y-You did it, Naruto!" Hinata couldn't help but yell in her own quiet voice. She was proud of the blond who held her affection, showing everyone in their class to never count out people like him and her; those who were considered the underdogs.

"Thanks, Hinata." Naruto said as she handed him back his haori, which he promptly put on in a swish of the coat. "Though without all the hard training I did over the month, I gotta say that Sasuke would have kicked my ass if I had come at him with any of that weak shit I would make up back then."

Hinata wasn't quite sure how to respond to that without sounding either creepy or crazy. She wanted desperately to encourage Naruto, to make him see himself the way she saw him every day. Instead of saying anything, Hinata simply smiled and prayed that she wouldn't faint while so close to Naruto.

"Eh, I've got it! Hinata!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed, startling the Hyuga princess into flinching. "You should hang out with us and join our Divisions! You're pretty strong. Maybe a little weird… Not nearly as odd as Shino, mind you, so you're perfect for our group!"

Hinata only seemed to hear Naruto talk about joining him as she was strong and perfect. Her face went tomato red in seconds as she squeaked in fluster. Just as she was about to faint, Kiba came over with a sigh and began pushing her along the way toward the others.

"Well, he didn't kill Sasuke. That's good… I guess," Shikamaru mumbled with a shake of his head and a small smile on his face.

"Yeah, but that headbutt… That was a little uncalled for, don't ya think?" Choji asked while staring at where Sasuke had left the class.

"At least he didn't go for the eyes." Kiba remarked while moving Hinata, and they all nodded in thanks to that not happening. Naruto might have been executed if he damaged the last Uchiha's eyes in any way before his Sharingan awoke.

"Naruto could have ended the match in a number of different ways," Hinata was shocked to see Ino now standing beside Shikamaru and Choji, being caught unaware that her fellow female had moved from her previous position near Sakura and Shino. "He should have used something less dramatic… But, at least he didn't show off this time in a spar. He's finally learning that we should be hiding what we can really do rather than showing anyone who simply asks us for a demonstration."

"Ino is so mean to me… I can never catch a break…" Naruto said with a simple smile as he reached the group. Ino only scoffed at him, but she was smiling all the same.

* * *

The rest of the class was less supportive of Naruto's growth.

"SASUKE WASN'T EVEN TRYING, CHA! PLUS, ANYONE WOULD BE CAUGHT BLINDSIDED BY THAT STUPID DRIBBLE NARUTO WAS SAYING! LEAVE IT TO NARUTO TO WIN BY BEATING HIS ENEMY WITH PURE IDIOCY! NARUTO, YOU ABSOLUTE MORON!" Sakura raged as she looked ready to beat Naruto into the dirt below the training mat and floorboards.

Another of the class spoke up then, "That's not how ninja fight! Who the heck headbutts their opponent! Of course, Sasuke-san didn't see that one coming, Sharingan or not! Uzumaki is not even using what we get taught! He's just making it up as he goes along and it just happened to work today of all days! Sasuke-san deserves a rematch!"

"No rematch, because my beloved Sasuke deserves the win for that match!"

"I'm sorry, _your_ Sasuke?"

"Fine, I meant to say _our_ Sasuke! Better?"

"Marginally."

"He shouldn't have been able to beat Sasuke! Naruto must have switched with a stunt double or something!"

"Those of the mighty Uchiha clan don't lose to nameless orphans, especially dumb ones!"

"Oi, will you idiots stop your griping! Naruto won fair and square! Ninja win no matter what they have to use. Victory at any cost!"

"I'm just as stunned as everyone else… but yeah, Naruto really pulled off the win there. Stop complaining guys. It's over."

"Yeah, Uzumaki got the job done, and that's all that counts!"

"Especially since the job was knocking Uchiha's ego back down to size in his own head. That headbutt looked painful, and Uzumaki is still bleeding. They both suffered from that. I know I'd never do it, but I'm sure now all of us will want to keep our distance in a fight against Uzumaki. Killer headbutt, dude!"

Some of the girls in the class began to boo at the blond Uzumaki. Hinata couldn't believe it. Some of the students and fangirls were even accusing Naruto of cheating. However, she was glad that some of the others were sticking up for Naruto. They had to be glad that someone had finally taken Sasuke Uchiha down a peg or two when guys like them weren't even noticed by girls.

"Uzumaki-san did as any good shinobi should do in his situation." Shino was saying as they all exited the Taijutsu training hall. Despite how unnerved Shino made most people feel, they could all agree that he possessed an analytical mind focused on the logical, and he was to be respected. "He used the skills at his disposal to both undermine his opponent and secure victory for himself. Whether what Uzumaki-san did in his match against Uchiha-san was foolishness, a prank, or any other such nonsense is debatable at best. However, what is not up for debate are his end results. He secured his objective, and for that we must concede the point. Uzu… Uzumaki- _taichō_ won here today. Whether his growth in ability and skill will continue, or if he will retain his newfound sensible attitude… that will require further observation."

No one knew what to say in the wake of Shino's clear and concise words. The mere fact that Shino Aburame was not only acknowledging Naruto, but was now also giving the blond his respect by way of calling him "Captain" sent shockwaves through the class and their understanding of the social order.

Even if they couldn't agree on much of what Shino said, they all secretly agreed on one thing.

Naruto Uzumaki, the _supposed_ Captain of some unknown Fifth Division, would require further observation indeed…

* * *

"So then, Iruka, tell me…" the Hokage was staring across his desk at the Academy instructor, "What did you think of Naruto's display today?"

"Lord Hokage, I'm not sure where he acquired the skill in a single month to beat Sasuke Uchiha, the Academy's second-best student in Taijutsu of their generation. He's only topped by Neji Hyuga, and Sasuke is closely followed by the third being Hinata Hyuga! How did Naruto go from on par with Kiba Inuzuka to fighting and beating Sasuke! It makes no sense, unless—"

"It was _me_ being the one to train him?" the Hokage lifted an eyebrow for emphasis. Or maybe it was in challenge of Iruka's now unspoken accusation. "You can rest assured, I have not taken over Naruto's training from you, Iruka. Aside from a few corrections in his form, a couple of hints here or there, along with a spar or two together a week ago, Naruto has been training himself these past months."

"Himself?" Iruka barked back in confusion, but then blinked. "Wait! What do you mean these past _months_? He's only been gone one month!"

"Naruto dedicated himself exclusively to his own training this past month, focusing inward and drawing upon the latent potential we've all seen within him. However, he has been practicing and training with his new group of friends for at least the last four months that have passed… maybe even the last half year, if my guess is correct. They have gotten quite far in their little time… I'd even say they'd pass their exams to become Genin-level ninja at the moment if Naruto could make a decent enough clone right now."

"What happened? I thought I was keeping track of him…" Iruka muttered, looking a little hopeless. Naruto was already hard enough for most people to keep under thumb, but Iruka had always believed himself the best of keeping tabs and eyes on Naruto at all times.

"He and his little friends from your class have come together to form a cute little organization." The Third Hokage put his elbows on his desk with his hands together to cover his mouth from view. He didn't want Iruka to see the small smile on his face, which would give proof to his favoritism of Naruto. The boy was something special, so determined and resilient. "They call themselves the Divisions, and are training to one day make the name stick. Or at least, Naruto is reaching for that goal from what he tells me."

"But then, where did he go? He couldn't have left the village." Iruka put forth.

"And that he did not." Hiruzen Sarutobi moved from his chair in order to stare out his office window, overlooking the village with his stern gaze. "Naruto approached me with a request for a place to train away from others. He said that his apartment's courtyard didn't provide the right atmosphere, and so I granted him access to my personal grounds. He trained himself into the ground, from dawn to dusk as hard as possible before going home to eat properly, bath, and rest for the next day of training. I had an ANBU operative follow him and report back to me once he was safely asleep."

"But who could convince Naruto to eat properly. I've tried time and time again, only to meet failure. For Naruto to give up eating ramen for every meal?" Iruka muttered to himself, and it was too much. The Hokage burst into a fit of laughter, a sound that was quite improper for a man known world-wide as The Professor.

"Ha, ha, ha! To be honest, even I was curious about it when he and I ate after a spar. He complained that the young lady, Ino Yamanaka, would have his head if she found out he was back to eating ramen all the time. Hahaha! It would seem little Naru-chan has gotten himself a girlfriend!"

"Naruto… and Ino…?" Iruka wasn't sure if he was more terrified, confused, or happy. The two blondes would make an amazing pair, but Ino was quite bossy and sometimes just as much a handful as Naruto himself. "Well, I suppose Naruto could use a slave-driving trophy girlfriend to motivate him into becoming successful… that is, unless she kills him first…"

Neither the Hokage or Iruka knew which outcome to expect.

* * *

Naruto looked up from where he was training. Standing atop a tree branch was none other than Sasuke Uchiha with a square bandage covering his forehead.

"Sasuke…? What's up?" Naruto asked, sheathing his bokken in his orange _obi_ -sash. The tree Naruto had been practicing on had slash marks in the wood, and the Uchiha couldn't figure out how Naruto was doing it with a wooden practice sword.

Still though, Sasuke's eyes were unchanging as he jumped down and began walking toward Naruto. "You… are the only person whose given me this feeling before. Aside from Hinata, only you have made me put forth any effort in my Taijutsu… But only you… _Only you have given me this feeling_!"

"I see," Naruto said as he stared ahead at Sasuke's approach. "Well, if we're being honest here…"

Naruto's eyes hardened incredibly as he locked gazes with the Uchiha. "I've seen eyes like yours before. All around the village. But those eyes were always aimed at me, and for one reason or another they were filed with hatred and anger. You, however… You're not looking at me. So, who is it? Who are your eyes glaring at when you see past me? It drives me _insane_! For once, someone's eyes are not directed at me, so I've just gotta know! Tell me! _Who are you looking at_?"

Sasuke felt himself twitch. He hesitated for a second, coming in front of Naruto with a hard breath.

"We… didn't make the Sign of Reconciliation before I left…" Sasuke said instead, staring at Naruto, who could see that Sasuke was now in the present moment.

Naruto's head tilted to the side a bit. His hand rested casually on the hilt of his bokken. "Hmm, you're right… We didn't make the sign for peace, or whatever…"

Sasuke was the first to extend his hand, putting it into the Sign of Confrontation, then held it out to Naruto, giving him a cautious look. Naruto's eyes dropped to Sasuke's hand for a second before he smiled, forming the Seal of Confrontation himself. He hooked his fingers with Sasuke's own into the Seal of Reconciliation.

"Now then… before I tell you about the one I hope to surpass… You need to tell me something." Sasuke said with a smirk, getting a bemused look out of Naruto as they let go of each other's hand quickly.

"Eh? What could I possibly have to tell you? You're the one who came here to me."

"You need to tell me," Sasuke was now glaring at Naruto, "how in the hell you knew my middle name!"

"Eh? Oh, that… Well, I actually said that name by mistake. Heh," Naruto rubbed at the back of his neck in slight embarrassment. "It's actually a pretty fun story. See, me and the gang have been reading this manga series, and it has a character named Uryu Ishida in it… He's kinda like you in a way, but I see you as more of a Byakuya Kuchiki to my Kenpachi Zaraki or something, ya know. Anyways, Uryu Ishida is a Quincy, and they're like this noble yet nearly extinct race of Human archers that were killed off by the Soul Reapers for one reason or another. I don't know, ask Shikamaru or Ino more about it. So, back to Byakuya Kuchiki, who is the guy I _really_ think you match up with! He's pretty badass, but he's got a stick up his ass a mile long. He does all these messed up things in the beginning because he's caught between his family's honor and upholding the law within Soul Society. I mean, the dude takes his own sister prisoner and _fights to see her executed_! That is beyond crazy, right? Right! Like I was saying, Byakuya has this massive stick up his ass…"

Sasuke blinked twice. He had not expected all of… well, all of _that_.

Naruto continued on in tangent that way as Sasuke listened to him with an annoyed expression slowly morphing into one of bewildered curiosity while Naruto went on and on about the comic series called _Deathberry_.

* * *

 **A/N: And there we have it! Sorry for the long wait, guys, but I am back once more. I've cranked out the next three chapters already, so be prepared for some faster updates to this story.**

 **Also, for anyone wondering why some characters use honorifics and others don't, I see it as some of them being more formal than others. People like Naruto and Kiba won't use them much, but people like Shino will address anyone with proper respect. Those like Hinata are caught in the middle where if they are comfortable enough with someone, they'll drop the 'san' stuff from their names.**

 **On another hand, what do you guys think about Zanpakutō? I have some of them in mind, but I would greatly enjoy hearing feedback from you guys about what swords you think the gang should use.**

 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	6. Foundation of the Divisions, Part 2

**A/N: Another new chapter only a few days later!? What is this sorcery? LoL!**

 **To answer a few questions and generally respond to a few comments, I will say this.**

 **Naruto, Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Ino are the only ones treated as Captains for the moment with Naruto being the only one who asks to be addressed as such directly.**

 **The others (Kiba, Hinata, and Choji) either don't feel they deserve the rank (Choji and Hinata) or they just don't deserve it at all (Kiba).**

 **So, yes, Kiba is kind of the Yamacha of the group for the moment. He will get better, but with most of his time devoted to training from his family, it going to be a while before he catches up with the others.**

* * *

 **The ideas you guys and gals have thrown out for Zanpakuto are interesting. VERY interesting, indeed. I'm going to do my best to combine the ideas together in a way I think everyone can like. Special thanks to M.L.T Fictions, TimberlineWolf, Rodneysao, and xxx6sic6xxx for sharing their opinions on the topic of Zanpakuto.**

 **Thirdly, toonlink111 asked about making Kurama as Naruto's inner Hollow. Well, ToonLink111, all I can say is that Naruto isn't the one getting the inner Hollow. It is the person you least expect. LoL!**

 **And lastly, another special thanks to salasdaniel74 for saying something I had not even thought about while writing this story. Its a little detail, but it adds so much more to the story. I overlooked it, but you are so right! MVP award to you!**

* * *

 **A/N: I am still on the fence if this story should be Naruto/Ino or not. In my mind, Ino was always the runner-up to be Naruto's love interest (right after Hinata). Sakura was too negative toward him throughout Part 1 for them getting together to ever be realistic to me. Tenten and Temari didn't really see or interact much with Naruto to have any feelings toward him one way or the other. I saw that Ino while thinking little of Naruto was still willing to give him a chance more than others. She spoke nicely about him during the Chunin Exams, even being the one to cheer for him and force Sakura to cheer for him as well while the pink-haired girl was thinking only of Sasuke. Then there is the anime filler of Part 1 that I liked. It fleshed out the characters a decent amount, and Episode 192 was where I first thought about Naruto and Ino being a couple, and liked the idea.**

 **But like I said, if Hinata weren't around, I think Ino would be perfect for Naruto. They are both hot-headed and Naruto would be really good for Ino's growth as a ninja just as she would help him grow as a person. Neither are shy about what they want, and Ino has just the right amount of boldness to make Naruto calm down when a situation calls for it.**

 **The way I rank them for pairings with Naruto are like this: Hinata, Ino, Temari, Tenten, and lastly Sakura. I don't hate Sakura. She's never done anything to me. But I can't stand the idea of Naruto forgiving her for all her useless moments when he needed her as a friend, and how many times she nearly got him killed because of "Sasuke-kun". But again: I don't hate Sakura. Badly written character, but still just a character. I try my best to change her to be a better one in my stories.**

 **Now, some might like the pairing of Naruto with Tenten or Temari, and while I have nothing against these, they don't make much sense in Part 1 of the Naruto show. Tenten never gave Naruto a second look, even after he beat Neji. And Temari saw Naruto as more of just a good person rather than a love interest after he stopped Gaara. In fact, they both we thinking of Sasuke as handsome when they met him, but never once thought of Naruto until he beat the unbeatable male to each of them.**

 **Honestly, I don't understand why Sasuke is so hyped in the show. Or why every girl likes him aside from Hinata. But I don't want to rant about how much I dislike Kishimoto's obvious Sasuke-worship. He created the show and the characters, so he is God over his creations. It just sucks that it is so one-sided to Sasuke.**

 **Oh well, I try my best with these stories to make Sasuke actually likeable and show reasonable ways for people to see Naruto in a good light.**

 **Let me know if I'm doing a good job, yeah!**

 **Now then! Enough of this crap! On with the SHOW!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Foundation of the Divisions, Part 2: Formation**

* * *

Hinata sat on Naruto's couch, overwhelmed with how suddenly things had changed in the course of the last couple of years. In her lap lounged a platinum blonde cat, lazily flicking its tail left and right as her hand gently pet its fur.

If someone had told her two years ago she would be in a close-knit group with the blond boy of her dreams, chatting and laughing with him nearly every day and spending quality time with individuals she could actually call friends… well, she might have fainted from the mere thought!

She had gone so quickly from wishing that Naruto would just notice her, to being surprised every day when she was one of the first people he immediately latched onto for conversation and plans for that day.

It made her knees weak. Her, Hinata Hyuga, cohorts and chums with the unbridled ball of energetic determination that was Naruto Uzumaki.

Naruto would rush right up to her, going on and on about the newest volume of _Deathberry_ he and the others had gotten into. She didn't read it much except when Naruto read it with her. Then he would take her by the hand and practically drag her to class where the others would be waiting. Kiba would be the first to brag about the new volume, saying how awesome this move was or how the clash between two characters had been epic. That would get the discussion going. Kiba had a very good memory for the characters names and their importance to the plot of the story. He always seemed to focus more on them as people than as warriors.

Ino or Choji would next elaborate on pages in detail; their setting and the characters abilities in contrast to each other. Ino could perfectly recall any and every outfit worn by the individuals in the manga. She would often go off in tangent about the materials and fabrics that would be best for the different environments the characters travelled through, going from the Human World to Soul Society and all. Choji was better at the powers of the people, scaling them in comparison to one another with great accuracy.

Then it was Shikamaru's turn to direct conversation. He would analyze and break down the techniques in use by the Deathberry cast in contrast to ninja arts from various books he and Naruto were studying up on. The Third Hokage had given Naruto permission to have shinobi texts and scrolls for him to study in order to become a better ninja. Whatever Naruto requested would be delivered to him by a member of the ANBU Black-Ops, normally by a brown-haired man in a Tora-mask or silver-haired guy in an Inu-mask. From the scrolls and books Naruto got, he and Shikamaru were more than able to define what kenjutsu styles were used in the manga and what level of ninjutsu the characters used against each other called "Kido".

Her new friends amazed her with the simplicity of their scientific method.

Naruto would demonstrate the move on a small scale, showing the others how the move would be executed with the use of his enormous stores of chakra. He'd say how it was either for someone lithe and flexible like Sui-Feng or Ino, or how it required muscle from a person like Renji Abarai, Kiba, or Choji. Or maybe it would be so simple and clever that only people like Shikamaru or Hinata herself could pull it off effortlessly and without looking like try-hard jackasses.

Naruto used vulgar language sometimes, but Hinata didn't mind. He never used it in front of their teachers, or directed it at her. She wasn't sure how she would feel if he did.

From there they would practice the move a couple of times, but they always waited until after their lessons at the Academy before they tried anything with the use of chakra. Sasuke Uchiha would join them then. The Third Hokage continued to lend Naruto the use of a private training ground, and extended that privileged to the rest of them.

" _Your little band of friends are always welcome here_!" the Third Hokage had offered with a smile. Hinata had been speechless to receive such honor from their village's leader and most powerful shinobi.

Thankfully, Ino had not been rendered to such a state. The blonde girl had grabbed Naruto by the neck, forcing him to respectfully bow and thank Lord Hokage for his unbelievable generosity.

Sometimes, Hinata wished she had Ino's outgoing and vibrant attitude.

"Hey, earth to Hinata!" the Hyuga girl jumped with a squeak as she was startled. The blonde cat in her lap hissed before jumping off her, running away. Naruto was moving in front of her, waving a hand in her face. "You still alive in there, Miss Hyuga!"

"Y-Yes, Naruto-kun!" Hinata had gotten a little better at keeping the stutter out of her voice. But with the source of her affection so close, she couldn't help the blush that covered her face or the trembling in her voice. "I'm s-sorry… I m-must have gotten lost in thought…"

"Eh, it's okay, so long as you ain't dead." Naruto shrugged casually. "I once heard that people can die just sitting there like zombies, or somethin'. It sounds really weird, but Ami from class says that's how her folks found her grandfather! Just sitting in the chair like he was thinking, but he was actually dead!"

"You idiot!" Ino had appeared behind Naruto, whacking him over the head with a paper fan, an irritated expression on her face. "That only applies to old people! Hinata isn't some grandma about to keel over! She hasn't even reached the prime of youthful beauty!"

Hinata blushed at the image of Ino's words. It was almost as if Ino were saying that she would grow more beautiful, and Naruto should take notice.

"Huh? Prime of youthful beauty?" Naruto looked momentarily confused, but then got really close to Hinata's face. All she could do was stare at him, her face red hot as she chanted mentally to not faint and look like a weirdo. "Hmmm… but Hinata's already pretty enough. She has really soft skin and no blemishes. Even if her eyes are kind weird, given they have no pupil, that still isn't much of a complaint. Plus, Hinata's hair is really nice and her breath always smells like cinnamon sticky buns!"

"Get out of her face, moron!" Ino began battering Naruto as Hinata was finally overloaded and collapsed back onto the couch. Her mind couldn't process if all the things Naruto had said were reality or a dream, but it had been wonderful while it lasted.

"Oh no! Hinata! She kicked the bucket, dattebayo!"

"You fool, let go of her! She's not dead!"

"Quick! We need to find an Unohana or Kurotsuchi-type person to revive her from the grave! We can't lose Hinata! She's the only nice girl in our group, dattebayo!"

"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY?!"

"OH GODS, HELP! INO IS TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"I'LL SUCCEED THIS TIME TOO, YOU GIANT JACKASS!"

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha merely raised an eyebrow at the door before closing it. He turned on heel and walked away from the apartment, even as Shikamaru and Choji gave each other bemused looks.

"I'll meet you all at the training grounds. I refuse to be party to their foolishness." Was all Sasuke said before disappearing off into the distance.

Shikamaru sighed as Choji opened the door only for them to see Ino trying to stab Naruto through the eye with a butter knife. Choji politely stepped beyond the murder scene in order to raid Naruto's kitchen for a snack before they went out training. Hinata was still passed out on the couch, muttering to herself about how much Naruto's kisses tickled her skin.

Shikamaru could only sigh again as he took the plunge and stepped inside.

Why was he always the one left to defuse the crazies?

* * *

"Umm, Tenten-senpai… are you okay?" Hinata asked as she, Ino, Naruto, and Kiba were made spectators to the brown bun-haired girl's slightly… off mood.

The five individuals in question were standing in an empty hallway as classes were in session. The four students were allowed free time since they and Sasuke Uchiha had successfully mastered the Taijutsu maneuvers their class had been reviewing that day. Sasuke had gone off on his own to train for the rest of the hour, but Naruto had been adamant about tracking down the girl named Tenten in order to make their request.

Unfortunately, Naruto had no idea that Tenten would be… _like this_ …

Tenten was staring off into space with stars in her eyes. There was a heavy blush across her cheeks and nose. Her face was cupped in her hands while she mindlessly giggled to herself.

"Me… their senpai…? They… respect me…? Hehe, hoho! They think of me so highly…! I'm already one step closer on becoming a legendary woman just like Lady Tsunade…! They need me…? They want me! Hehehe, hoho!"

"Umm… is she gonna be okay…?" Naruto asked as he tilted his head while watching the strange behavior.

"Either that, or we're getting lucky tonight… My mom and sister told me all about that kinda look on a girl…" Kiba whispered into Naruto's ear, but was not quiet enough as Ino bonked him over the head, her own face now slightly rosy in the cheeks. Though more from scandalous embarrassment than anything else.

Like she had some kind of growing crush or affection or whatever for Naruto Uzumaki…! AS IF!

Tenten finally snapped back to reality from her fantasies about being praised by Tsunade Senju as a more capable and powerful female than herself. Tenten saw this moment as fate. It was destiny that they— _her juniors_ —had come to her with their problems. It was like Kami placing her in the perfect spot to start passing on the wisdom and guidance that she would one day become known for!

"Ohoho! And I'm not even out of the Academy yet! Thank you, Kami-sama! Your divine blessings know no bounds!" Tenten praised, clapping her hands together before dancing around in another bout of fantasy. She quickly snapped out of this one though, pointing her finger right in front of Naruto's face as she grinned her biggest grin to date.

"I'll do it!" Tenten declared.

"Eh? But we haven't even really told you what we need—" Kiba was cut off as Tenten shook her head.

"I don't care! It doesn't matter what it is! As your proud and wise senpai, it is my job to help you juniors in whatever endeavors your little hearts might desire! No task is too great or small for your beloved Tenten-senpai!" Tenten said, laughing delightedly as she went into yet another bout of fantasy. This time Naruto, Ino, Hinata, and Kiba were praising her for being so humble and caring.

In reality though, the four were staring at her with bewildered looks.

"Umm, okay then… I guess she'll ask her dad for us… I guess… Let's just leave her the design scrolls and be on our way…" Naruto said, making sure to slowly put the scroll down on the desk in front of Tenten. The others did the same, backing out of the room slowly and carefully while Tenten was again cupping her blushing face and giggling to herself about not needing any more praise from her peers or Lady Tsunade.

Tenten was rather weird about things the rest of the day, declaring that others below her call her senpai and feel free to ask for her guidance. People just gave her weird looks while the teachers were at least glad that a note-worthy student was being so helpful… if not a bit creepy about it, though to their view.

* * *

As the group were let out of Academy classes one day, Sasuke walked out into the village feeling… happy? Yes, it was probably happiness that he felt. He and Naruto had grown a lot closer than he had ever believed they would after that first evening talking to each other. Three years ago now, Sasuke still couldn't wrap his head around it. Naruto had head-butted himself into Sasuke's friendship, and it still didn't quite make sense to anyone, least of all the people of the village. Naruto simply had this presence about him that made it easy for him to be around people, even if they were irritated by him to no end.

Not to mention how he annoyingly clung to people like an infectious virus.

Naruto didn't let his friends go if he could help it, they had to pry themselves free of the blond.

None the less, Sasuke found that as he made his way through the village and listened to the whispers of people talking about his new appearance as though he were a fashion model, he still felt happy. It had now been three years since they sparred that faithful day, and Sasuke had found something more to live for.

When his clan was killed by _that man_ , he had thought that everyone he cared for in the world had disappeared. All he had seen in front of him was _him_ , and his desire _**to kill**_ _the man_. Now, however… he realized that the Third Hokage was right when he prattled on and on about the bonds between those who lived in Konoha. The entire village could be his new family, in the vaguest sense of the word.

He would _never_ forget the Uchiha clan as his real family would always be very dear to his heart. He would miss them for all eternity, but that would not stop others from becoming precious to him.

Granted, he could count his "precious" people as Naruto put it, on his two hands, but it was a good start none the less.

Also, his clan could be revived. That was something he vowed to himself a night after training himself into the ground with the others. That responsibility rested on his shoulders, if he wanted to bring the clan back to greatness, then he would have to become a man worth the attention of respectable women. _Not fangirls_.

That would be a last resort, something he was too ashamed to admit…

Therefore, he focused some of his attention on becoming a dignified man, someone that could immediately be seen as the head of an honorable family.

Taking up the character of Byakuya Kuchiki made that endeavor slightly easier.

After all, if he focused all his attention on getting strong enough to kill Itachi, then he might die in the destined battle… then the Uchiha clan would be forever gone from Konoha.

Another last resort was giving the quest to restore the Uchiha clan to Naruto. He would never admit it until his dying breath, but he wasn't ashamed of it either.

Just to be safe though, he did write it in a copy of his Last Will and Testament, given to the Third Hokage if he should die before killing the slayer of his clan and becoming a Jonin-level ninja.

Nonetheless, Sasuke vowed to himself that he would take charge of his destiny and defend the honor of the Uchiha just as Byakuya defended the honor of the noble Kuchiki household.

With that in mind, Sasuke stopped in front of the library where Naruto, Ino, Hinata, Choji and Shikamaru were already waiting for him.

Kiba would swing by in a few hours after training with his mother and sister in his clan arts. From what Sasuke understood, Kiba needed to become fast and strong enough to use his clan arts effectively. This was unlike Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji, who only needed the proper chakra control and a few practice lessons every week.

Shaking his head of the distracting thoughts, Sasuke stepped forward. This was part of getting good enough to protect that honor. He and Naruto had decided to take matters into their own hands by actively searching out the information they would need. The texts and scrolls they received from their Head-Captain, the Third Hokage, were well enough, but without supplementary information and a foundation of theory, any further experimentation into making their goals a reality would end in critical failure.

Sasuke was also secretly proud that he was the only one among his friends that took the time out every other night for an hour to study a dictionary. Using big words against Naruto was just too easy to pass up. It was a way of humbling the blond, and too darn funny for Sasuke not to take advantage.

The Uchiha watched as the librarian threw Naruto a dirty look before greeting the rest of them with only the highest of respect. If the man had been anyone of note, then he would have recognized that Naruto was one of the last members of the Uzumaki clan in the entire world. They had discovered that last week, but Naruto didn't seem to really care. He must have cried about it though as he came to school the next day with a raw nose and puffy eyes. None the less, Naruto ignored the man at the front desk and simply continued on as though it didn't bother him. Sasuke knew that it did because Naruto would inevitably complain about it to them later that same day.

So now, they were looking through scroll after scroll, researching ninja and chakra as much as possible. Naruto would grouch about it to Hinata, the only one among them either too weak or simply too kind to turn a deaf ear to the annoying blond. Half way into the fifth hour, Naruto wanted to spend the rest of the day at Ichiraku Ramen, but Ino finally had enough as she smacked him with a book and told him to shut up and read it before she stuffed it down his throat. Sasuke had to admit, it was a bit harsh, but that seemed to be the only way to get through to Naruto. The only other time he shut up and read was when Hinata had asked politely for him to talk softly as she had lost her place in a scroll on the theory of Medical Ninjutsu. Naruto had clamped his mouth shut then, but been back at it an hour later. Now he was grumbling quietly to himself as he read through a text on the basic aspects of Sensor Ninja.

"Aaaah man, there's so many to choose from… How do we know which one will fit into the Divisions? I mean, we've been here for six hours already. Sensor ninja, medic ninja, offensive ninjutsu, defensive ninjutsu, Genjutsu specialist, Ninjutsu specialist, Taijutsu specialist, Shinobi theorist…" Naruto muttered, looking thoroughly overwhelmed as he put down his seventh scroll that day. The others were well into their twentieth, but there was no need to bring that up to the blond. "Aside from kenjutsu with a bit of elemental chakra manipulation, I've got no idea what we need."

"Then maybe you should put more energy into studying rather than griping about things." Sasuke spat, having enough of Naruto's childish antics. The blond was much smarter than he let on, but book knowledge was not his forte. The least he could do was let them all study in peace if he was not going to contribute.

"Sasuke is right. You need to build your theoretical knowledge if you ever want to help us achieve what we're planning." Shikamaru said as he put down a book on chakra natures. "You're the only one among us that has enough chakra to make multiple attempts at these techniques in a single day. Without you're blunders on the training field as we help you get through the trial and error process, we'd be set back by years instead of months. We have only another year left before the next Graduation Exams are held at the Academy. In that time, we still have much to master before our personal time is cut drastically short by our responsibilities as shinobi to the village."

"We've held ourselves back enough already. There can be no more excuses as to why we don't graduate. Everyone is questioning why we have held ourselves back the past three years. We _must_ graduate on time since we did not exit the Academy program with an early graduation. And I will say again; I _will not_ bring shame to the noble name of Uchiha." Sasuke said with his closed eyes, looking a little furious.

"Not to mention the fact that we still don't have a devoted healer in our group, even after three years. We've become so popular a group that no one in the school or on the streets will approach us to join. Not even when we offer fabulous prizes to include them." Ino sighed as she gave up on an interrogations text.

"I like the presents we get in return though, those are nice." Kiba said, having arrived a couple hours ago with his clothes all mussed up from training with his family.

"Y-You know… Shino has inquired about j-joining us…" Hinata said, and was promptly ignored by everyone.

True, they wanted people to join, but Shino Aburame was just plain creepy…

"For the moment, I think we should all focus on personal achievement rather than group effort. Naruto will still be our lab rat and test dummy," Sasuke said into the awkward silence. Naruto shouted in protest to being called such demeaning things. The librarian shushed the blond for his volume. "Like for instance, I am an offensive fighter for the most part. I will master techniques in Zanjutsu, Kido, Shunpo, and Hakuda. However, I have not allowed my ninja arts to suffer for this, and so have continued to expand my arsenal of Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu."

"Hmm… You have never seemed the genjutsu type to me… You've no imagination… And you've never mentioned any of this before." Naruto said, tilting his head to the side.

Sasuke shrugged. "Well, not right now, but when I acquire the Sharingan, it will come naturally to me exponentially."

Naruto stared at Sasuke for a long time. "What is Cha-ring-gum and Expo-nin-tail-lee?"

Sasuke smirked even as Shikamaru facepalmed himself.

"Perhaps when you've finished ten books, I'll tell you things only an Uchiha could hope to understand." Sasuke said smugly, making Naruto bristle.

"Why you dirty bas—!" Naruto's face was pushed into the table by Ino, who was looking around quickly to make sure no one was paying them any attention.

"Let's just stay on topic, dimwits. Sasuke is right, but we still need to refine ourselves in a group setting. My dad is always telling me about how dangerous the job of a ninja is. He thinks I'm not cut out for it since we're getting so close to the end of our time at the Academy, but I _know_ I have what it takes. We study on our own time, but at least once every few days from now on until the graduate exams, we should come together on the training grounds to study a new technique."

"That s-sounds more than a-agreeable." Hinata said softly, her hands clutching a book on medicinal plants.

"Then I think we can all agree that Naruto should take the lead on the Deathberry stuff for the rest of the year." Kiba said, putting down his book on animal markings. "He's got the most free-time, and doesn't have the added layer of clan techniques to learn. There aren't any books on the Uzumaki clan he can research now, anyway. All o' those are under guard in the Shinobi History and Research Department across the village where only registered ninja and specially approved individuals can enter. Which means that Naruto can use the time we're not around for those few days between our group sessions to start mastering the Deathberry techniques enough to show the rest of us how to do 'em."

"Oh yeah, just leave me to do all the heavy lifting…" Naruto muttered, but then shrugged as he took up a scroll of the basics of the Sealing Arts. Opening it to the index, the others saw Naruto furrow his brow before clicking his tongue and closing it immediately.

He still kept it to himself however, which did not go unnoticed. "Fine, fine. I'll be the group guinea pig since the rest of you are too weak to even begin the process on your own… But it'll consume most of my training time as it is."

"Your ninja arts were lacking anyway." Shikamaru said without a care, even as Naruto threw an angry glare at him. "At least this way you'd become good at something. I mean, you still can't make even one halfway decent clone to save your life. Maybe if you mastered Sui-Feng or Zommari's afterimage techniques, it would be a nice substitute."

"Hmm…" Naruto hummed, putting some serious thought into the matter. He opened a wooden hand fan in front of his face, fanning himself as he spoke. "You make a fair point… Damned as I am to admit it, I really haven't improved my Clone Jutsu at all even with all the practice I've put into it. I would say I have too much chakra for it, but even when I try to create dozens of the clones, I still only come out with one sickly looking thing… Boy oh boy… Tough decisions, all around…"

"Umm, N-Naruto-kun…" Hinata started slowly, fidgeting with her index fingers before taking a deep breath. "I'd be happy to h-help you improve in your Deathberry t-techniques. As with before, my B-Byakugan still needs training, and you've been a big help in that… My father says my eyes are growing stronger every day. He's even started to take an interest in our training group!"

"Well that's great, Hinata!" Naruto cheered, getting shushed by an annoyed librarian. "I hope I didn't get you in trouble when I called your dad a… you-know-what to his face."

Hinata blushed as she recalled Naruto calling her father a cold-hearted bastard when they had visited the Hyuga family compound in order to spend the day with Hinata, who was ordered by her father not to leave the compound as to focus on her own training instead of her friends.

Naruto had thrown her father's decision out the window when he simply had Sasuke lead the group to the Hyuga family compound on the other side of the village. There, Naruto and the others were ushered in at the order of her father, who was surprised and annoyed that they had come looking for his daughter. When Hiashi Hyuga had made the mistake of dismissing Hinata's skills in front of Naruto, saying that she was unworthy of her position as clan heiress, he had got a first-hand lesson in how fiercely Naruto regarded his friends.

Naruto grabbed her father by the collar of his robes before shouting in his face that she was an excellent training partner and a first-rate member of the newly founded Divisions. He ranted and raved about how she was wonderful in many ways, from the way her Byakugan could analyze his chakra to see how they could all correctly perform techniques from the Deathberry series, to when she used her medical knowledge in medicinal herbs to make salve that healed their wounds after a day of hard training.

* * *

Naruto had snapped, " _If you, her father and head of the Hyuga family household can't see something so obvious with that damn freaky eye power of yours, then you're either really stupid, or you're just being a cold-hearted bastard_!"

" _What was that, intolerable brat_!?" Her father had stood to his full height with Naruto barely coming up to his chest.

" _I called you a stupid cold-hearted bastard, dattebayo_!" Naruto shouted again, this time loud enough for the entire compound to probably hear.

Naturally, her father had been furious. He had called the guards to grab Naruto, but Naruto had proved once again that he wasn't done. He had knocked the guards aside, demanding that her father be "man" enough to face the de facto leader of the Divisions himself. Hiashi had nearly risen to the bait, his chakra rising to the point where his favorite tea cup had cracked. Naruto had matched him, however, shattering that tea cup when their chakra clashed in the middle of the room. Naruto and her father blurred, clashing fist against open palm at top the table. Naruto was swiftly defeated though, with eight palm strikes that sealed his chakra in quick succession.

He groaned about it before standing up, saying that his bones would wither to dust before he failed to defend Hinata's honor as a founding member of the Divisions.

That was when, to the surprise of everyone, her father had begun laughing. Hysterically. He quickly got over it though, folding his hands behind his back as, with a very serious look on his face, he actually encouraged her to spend more time around "this young street urchin" as hopefully some of Naruto's confidence and bravado would rub off on her.

* * *

Ever since that day, her father hadn't even looked disgusted at her choice to wear the Shihakushō outside to school and training. He would merely give her outfit a glance, letting her know to have it washed or if he would have it repaired or replaced because of the damage to it from her practice.

"Oh no, my father hardly even remembers that day…" Hinata said, though she was fibbing a bit.

Her father had made it expressly clear that he would only tolerate Naruto in very small doses. They could train with the Hyuga family on their grounds once or twice a month, but only that much. It would help her and them build their Taijutsu properly, he had said.

So far, they had only had ten sessions with the members of her family.

And only one with her prodigy of a cousin Neji, who had butt heads with Naruto literally as Naruto did with opponents who he apparently considered rivals.

Sasuke had been the one to confirm to them that much.

"Great! Then with your help, Hinata, I'm sure I'll get it all down! We'll have mastered everything those books have to teach us in no time flat, dattebayo!" Naruto cheered loudly, pumping a fist into the air.

He was kicked out of the library after that by a very satisfied-looking librarian.

* * *

A platinum blonde cat with teal eyes swished its tail back and forth while being held by a lavender-haired young girl with pale pupil-less eyes. The two young women were accompanied by an annoyed boy with his black hair resembling a pineapple and a chubbier boy who was busy eating small cakes from a snack box. These four individuals were standing a safe distance away from the commotion in front of them, even as an explosion tore apart the ground and kicked up a gust of wind that sent dust flying their way.

"Geez, just cover us in dirt, why don't cha?" Shikamaru muttered as Choji stopped eating for a second to throw up an orange cubic barrier that would protect them from further dust clouds.

"And why hadn't you done that before now?" The blonde cat asked in an annoyed tone. "Those two have been at this for nearly an hour!"

"Because now it was starting to make me chew small mineral deposits from my snack cakes," was Choji's simple answer around the powder-covered snack in his mouth. "I didn't like that, so I fixed it. Now my food is safe."

"Ch-Choji… you sh-shouldn't use you're a-abilities for such frivolous things…" Hinata stuttered as she clutched Ino's cat form close to her. Another explosion rocked the area, though this time it was a clash between green flames and white lightning that sent the dust and debris skyward.

"And Ino really shouldn't turn into a cat just because Yoruichi Shihōin did it in Deathberry." Choji retorted with no ill intent. The dust settled atop the cubic orange barrier, and Choji freed a hand from his snacks in order to make a one-handed signal that distorted the shape of his construct, causing the dust to harmless slide off the side of it before returning to normal.

"This coming from the guy trying to get as large as Hachigen Ushōda…" Ino muttered as Choji appeared to take offense to that comment.

"What'd you say?!" he yelled, glaring comically at Ino, who only gave him back a cool stare.

"I said you are _fat_ , tubbs," Ino was back to her human form in an instant. She stood beside Hinata in her now, normal purple version of the Yoruichi outfit, though this time with a Captain's haori for the Second Division over it. "What'cha gonna do about it, ne?"

"I'll kill you." Choji stated harshly, his palm now holding a small, glowing red orb as Ino smirked. She lashed backward with a kick, easily shattering Choji's barrier and disappearing just as Choji cried out, " _Hado #31: Shakkahō_!"

The explosion that followed was escaped by Hinata and Shikamaru, both whose Division clothes were now dirty from the close-range attack that sent dirt flying everywhere near them.

"Hey! The hell is going on over there!?" Naruto's voice called out from the distance. That was his mistake as he was screaming the next second as yellow lightning descended upon him.

"You should focus on your own survival." Sasuke stated while preparing another Kido attack.

"Choji and I are working on his anger management issues!" Ino laughed, dodging a barrage of small red orbs that all exploded with the force to blow apart a tree. She made it look easy, slipping between the thrown bombs as though dancing on a nightclub floor.

"Now I've got you!" Choji suddenly exclaimed. Ino would have laughed more, if she didn't feel her stomach impact with a bar of light. This was just before five more bars pinned her to the spot by slamming into her from all horizontal directions. "And you're gonna pay for calling me fat! I'M BIG-BONED, DAMMIT! _Hado #33: Sōkatsui_!"

Ino saw the wave of blue flames engulf every blade of grass on their way toward her. She sighed. This was gonna really mess up her clothes and hair.

" _Bakudo #81: Danku_!" came the shout from Shikamaru, and a transparent shield came to life in front of Ino, only to crack and buckle under the pressure of the blue flames. Luckily for the purple-clad girl, the shield held fast until the bitter end, where after the torrent of blue hell fizzled out of existence. The protective spell shattered into nonexistence a moment later, leaving only the heat from the attack it defended to make Ino sweat.

She quickly shattered the shafts of light binding her in place, and appeared in a swift blur in front of Choji, who was looking all too satisfied with himself. "You brain-dead jackass! You could have seriously killed me with that attack! It was way too overpowered!"

"Huh?" Choji blinked in surprise, then tilted his head. "You're still alive? Damn!"

"You were seriously _trying_ to murder me!?" Ino was outraged.

"Well… you had no right to call me fat. Fair is fair." The Akimichi chirped happily with a shrug of his shoulders, the black sleeves of his robes falling to his elbows.

"You should have made sure I was dead, fatso." Ino seethed, and Choji was back to murder as well as they got in each other's faces. "Because now I'm gonna reduce your size to tiny chunks of lard!" Ino drew the bokken sheathed horizontally behind her lower back. It seemed to steam with grey energy, growling like an alley cat cornered.

"You just bring it, ya blonde bimbo!" Choji snapped back, his hands crackling with intense blue energy that arched and shuttered like lightning.

"Hmph, to think that this is how the Divisions would act… Disgraceful…"

Sasuke Uchiha had arrived on the scene, his eyes closed and his white haori for the Sixth Division billowing behind him. In his long black hair was an intricate bone-white _kenseikan_ headpiece. Around his neck was a silver-white scarf that looked expensive. He finally opened his eyes, leveling his Divisions comrades with his cool onyx gaze.

"I find myself ashamed to call either of you boorish peons my colleagues." He stated plainly, which turned both Ino and Choji's ire toward him as their new target.

"What was that, Uchiha? I didn't quite catch it." Ino hissed, her entire body now engulfed in flowing grey power.

"I think he meant to insult us, Ino." Choji growled, his form shrouded in crackling blue lightning. "But that couldn't be true… not unless you had a _DEATH WISH_!"

"As if the likes of you could even touch one such as me…" Sasuke said in cool confidence, his hand resting comfortably on the hilt of his bokken. "I wouldn't even need to dirt my blade with paupers such as you."

Just as Ino and Choji inched closer to the Uchiha, and he narrowed his eyes in challenge to them, every last one of them, even Hinata and Shikamaru, were slammed with the overwhelming pressure of Naruto's chakra as he entered the clearing. He looked none too concerned with whatever battle was about to occur between the three, but did seem to take issue with something.

"This is no way for the Divisions to act! Founders fighting amongst themselves over petty insults! DISGRACEFUL!" Naruto said, his bokken being used like a walking cane as he approached the gathering of his friends like an old man. He was hunched over, his other hand folded behind his back as he narrowed his eyes like an elderly man at them. "And to think… YOU WOULD SULLY YOUR UNIFORMS OVER THIS! THOSE HAORI AND SHIHAKUSHŌ ARE EXPENSIVE! WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY'RE FOR?!"

"They make excellent and convenient napkins!" Choji happily supplied his answer in the face of Naruto's wrath.

"They are stylish and match well with my outfits!" Ino chirped while a vein appeared to throb in Naruto's forehead.

"They are cheap and easily replaceable…" Sasuke muttered with a look of disinterest on his face, even as Naruto exploded in anger.

"IDIOTS!"

* * *

"Umm, Tenten… sweetie… Are you sure you don't want Daddy's help in there?" her father questioned nervously as his daughter heated the furnace again to their smith site.

"NO, DAD! I CAN DO THIS! MY JUNIORS ARE DEPENDING ON ME!" Tenten shouted over the roaring flames and sounds of hammer striking metal anvil. She paused only for a second to wipe the sweat from her brow and heave a deep breath. "No task is too great or small for their beloved Tenten-senpai! NO TASK WHAT-SO-EVER! DO YOU HEAR ME? NONE!"

"Umm, okay sweetheart… Just be careful… Daddy loves you!" he said, watching fretfully as his adopted daughter finally took an interest in his ironworks and weapon expertise.

* * *

Later found Sasuke watching Naruto as the blond led their group to the very top of the Hokage Monument. It was his first time ever coming up there, having had no interest in visiting a local landmark before he befriended Naruto and the others. Naruto, however, seemed to come there very often. At least once every few days. Iruka had once told him that if he ever wanted a bit of peace and quiet away from his fangirls—who had increased since he started to wear his clothes similar to the character of Byakuya Kuchiki around the village in the recent year—that this was the place to go.

Iruka had also said that the suggestion had come from one of his students.

Now Sasuke knew exactly who that student was.

Sasuke had to admit, the last few years of being close to Naruto and the others had made him… happy? He wasn't over the death of his clan or his hatred of _that_ _man_ , but at least now he had others around him that helped to channel his rage and frustration into something else.

"Wow, N-Naruto!" Hinata exclaimed, "You can see the whole village from here!"

"Yeah, this was actually a pretty good break from training." Shikamaru was smiling lightly. "Almost certainly worth the walk."

"You can see so much from up there." Choji muttered in awe, and beside him was Kiba who had finally finished his day's training with his mother in the Inuzuka clan's secret arts. Whatever it was that he had been training in had been tough, leaving him covered in scraps and cuts, some even on his face. They were all now covered in salve, courtesy of Hinata and Ino's healing paste.

"Kinda makes a guy feel small, ya know… Like we're all just tiny parts of something much bigger than ourselves…" Kiba said, and Sasuke saw Ino nod her head in agreement. Even he had to agree. The village was vast and it did make him feel tiny in comparison; as though he and they were mere raindrops in an ever-falling storm, or ants a part of a colony.

One in the many.

And the needs of one never outweighed those of the many…

"This… is what we must protect." Naruto said solemnly, and Sasuke could see the very serious look on his face. "We might play around, joke, and even make light of killing one another, but… This is what it's all about. All the training. All the skills. All the experiments we've been doing with chakra and the ninja arts to create Kido and Deathberry techniques. This is what it will lead to. What it already has involved. We will become strong enough to protect this place. These people. Their lives and their families. Our lives and our bonds together. All the junk we do is fun, and always will be fun for us… but this is why I committed myself to it all."

"Naruto…" Ino whispered in shock of his determination. Naruto's fist clenched so hard that they could all hear the knuckles crack.

"I come up here, and… despite how most of them may treat me… Regardless of the way they all look at me… I look down on it all and I feel the desire rise in me. One that _demands_ I protect them with every fiber of my being! Every man, woman, and child!"

"Until we grow strong," Sasuke found himself saying, "Those words are nothing but hollow declarations."

"You're right." Naruto turned to Sasuke, his eyes burning with an intensity the Uchiha had rarely seen in him before. It was beyond a simple will to grow stronger or be noticed. It was something else entirely. "Those are merely words right now. But they are the foundation of the Divisions. We will build on them. And if I die before I become strong enough… then you all must rise from my ashes and carry on. Make the goal of the Divisions possible!"

"You talk like you're dead already…" Kiba muttered, but his grin was in good nature. "What is it that Old Man Yama says…? Hmm…"

"Place everything you have on the line, and crush the enemy where they stand! Even if they should tear your flesh from your bones, make every last fragment of those bones an iron wall! They must not be permitted to set a single foot… within the village of Konoha!"

All seven members of the fledging Divisions jumped in surprise, turning their heads to see none other than the elderly Third Hokage walking toward them, his expression stern and ruthless.

All seven stood aside and bowed at the waist to Hiruzen Genryūsai Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, their Head-Captain.

"It would seem that your little group has indeed grown strong and smart. Though you all might not see eye to eye on everything, you share a bond only you can understand. It is invaluable that this bond grows and matures until the Divisions is a family!" Sarutobi said, hands behind his back in a firm manner as he gazed over the village. "Life is much too short… Every warrior born of this village lives with many scars, but we are all a family here. And the family will _always_ protect the home!"

"Umm… what is the Head-Captain even talking about now?" Kiba asked in a mutter to Ino, who bonked him on the head comically. It didn't even hurt that time.

"Shut up will ya! He's so cool right now!" Ino hissed before turning back to stare at the Third Hokage in awe.

Unfortunately, he had fallen asleep in that time, standing before the village as he snored lightly with his head leaning to one side.

"Everyone can just shut up and enjoy the view." Naruto said with a pleasant sigh.

Kiba took a moment to scoff, but turned his gaze onto the village as asked. The group stayed in silence after that, bathing in the sunlight of the midday sun.

* * *

Far off to the side, where the path up to the top of the Hokage Monument led downward into a small bridge, a pink-haired girl observed the group with an unreadable expression.

When and how had they all become such good friends?!

The pink-haired girl vowed that she would get to the bottom of this mystery!

* * *

 **A/N** **: I have to apologize for that HUGE timeskip in this character. Looking back over my chapter summaries for these last few chapters, I realized that I had never specified the passage of time between one chapter and the next. It just came to a head when I have the graduation exams written in Chapter 10 and 11 of the story. So, I decided to simply bite the bullet and make the timeskips in one chapter instead of spreading them out all over the next few. It would have confused me and you guys as I wrote months passing from them being 8 to the characters suddenly being 12 in the next few chapters as I say, "six months passed" and "one month after blah blah blah" for the next four to five chapters.**

 **Instead, I jumped three years to where they did research, trial and error, and after those three years are finally proficient with the Gotei 13 moves and techniques.**

 **Also, I made the characters a bit more distinctive in this chapter.**

 **Tenten, the Self-Proclaimed "Senpai" to the Divisions** **: She has cluelessly roped herself into the Division with her fantasies being on a completely different level from Naruto's and all the others. She has no clue what she's gotten into, and is too proud to admit it. Let's just hope she doesn't accidently kill herself working that forge, right!**

 **Ino Yamanaka, Rose of the Divisions** **: Ino is still feisty and violent toward the boys, even Sasuke sometimes as she calls him "dimwit" and includes him in her rants. Its just that Sasuke doesn't sit there and take it like the others. The first skill he decided to learn was Flash-Step or "Shunpo", simply to get away from Ino. He and Ino are tied in speed, with Naruto edging over them by only a little. Just fast enough to stop them from killing other or people that annoy them. Gotei 13 skills were something Naruto felt he needed to develop in order to protect the name of the Divisions before they even became official with all the volatile personalities they have. Ino has used this to become the best and most stylish ninja she can. Her abilities in stealth are top-notch and her place among the Divisions is unquestioned.**

 **Choji Akimichi, Heart of the Divisions** **: Choji isn't so much of a marshmallow anymore as he is now offensively and defensively strong simply so he can keep his marshmallow nature. Except when you call him fat. He doesn't care who you are, he will try to kill you. Whether you survive, or not, is entirely on you. His abilities with Kido are great, and his physical strength is inhuman.**

 **Shikamaru Nara, (Lazy) Brains of the Divisions** **: Shikamaru, still lazy, but now making himself strong enough so he can keep being lazy. His Kido skills are good, but not as good as Choji, who is probably the best in the group at Kido for now. Shikamaru, however, is still the smartest by a long shot. He's the one picking which techniques they need to learn and in what order so they can maximize their effectiveness as fighters if an emergency should occur. Remember, he's always thinking three steps ahead, at least.**

 **Kiba Inuzuka, Beast of the Divisions** **: Kiba is probably the weakest of the members at the moment, but that is only because his clan training comes first and foremost. His family seem like very proactive people who lead by example, so Kiba trains personally with his mom and sister as often as possible to get himself ready for when they teach him Beast Mimicry ninjutsu. Right now, as an 11-year-old, Kiba has been training his body to endure the stuff his family have to teach him. This final year will be devoted to actually teaching him the jutsu that he used in Part 1 of the Naruto series. He needed to be strong and fast enough to handle the extremely disorienting moves of the Inuzuka clan. So, that leaves very little time for him to practice Kido or Zanjutsu. He might be halfway keeping up in Flash-Step and Hakuda, but he doesn't have the luxury of time like the others do. I always figured that the Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka clans were teaching their techniques through chakra control rather than much physical effort. Maybe the Akimichi do some muscle training, but I don't think it can be very much since they have to pack on a lot of weight before they can use their jutsu to its full potential. Nevertheless, Kiba is the deadlast of the Divisions, but for very good reason as he is probably the best "shinobi" of the group at the moment.**

 **Sasuke Uchiha, Noble of the Divisions** **: Sasuke is probably the second strongest of the Divisions because he hangs out with Naruto the most. While the others have to go train with their families, Sasuke is still training with Naruto, who really likes using the moves from** _ **Bleach**_ **as they are all flashy and super cool, just the way the blond thinks ninjutsu and ninja stuff should be. Sasuke doesn't mind it because Naruto is helping him become stronger and the Uchiha knows how to actually balance his ninja training with his Gotei 13 training methods, unlike Naruto who is completely in the deep end of the Gotei 13 stuff. Sasuke doesn't care what anyone thinks of him, and so he'll gladly walk around looking like Byakuya. Unfortunately for him, this has only increased his supply of fangirls, much to his dismay. What can you do? Ladies just love the cool impassive types who talk down to everyone around them. It's a terrible illness, I assure you…**

 **Hinata Hyuga, Sunflower of the Divisions** **: Hinata is good at the Divisions stuff, but she focuses more on being a supportive member of the Divisions than anything. Her Kido is mostly defensive, and she doesn't use the Zanjutsu techniques much because her clan's fighting style doesn't mesh well with swords. Nonetheless, Hinata is determined, and is pushing herself to be more like Naruto and the others. However, as their only "healer" in the fact that she knows how to make medicine while Ino can supply the plants, the others don't leave her with much time to learn more offensive things. They also need her Byuakugan to see if their doing things right so they don't end up blowing themselves up the way they let Naruto do when they're committing their "trial and error" test runs. Hinata doesn't mind much, though. She just likes feeling needed and appreciated, which the others supply in spades.**

 **Naruto Uzumaki, Founder of the Divisions** **: Naruto is, hands down, the best of the Divisions. He has gone crazy with it the way actual people have gone crazy with learning every little fact about the Naruto world. He is one of those people, and luckily for him it is paying off as he is slowly but surely discovering that he can emulate every aspect of Bleach with some hard work and research into translating fiction into reality. For every move that he studies with the help of his friends, he's learning at least two or three more in the time they leave him alone to his own "Hmm, let me try this out" devices. Sasuke is around for some of those times, but not nearly enough of them to see how far Naruto is getting into the Gotei 13 stuff without them. Sasuke has an idea, but only that. Naruto has modelled himself near perfectly after certain members (Kaien Shiba, Isshin Kurosaki, Kisuke Urahara, even bits of Aizen and a bit of Old Man Yamamoto for good measure) and he's not slowing down as he comes into his finally year at the Academy, dattebayo!**

 **If you like what you've read and you want to read more, then check out my profile page where I have a ton of other stories, include more Naruto and other crossovers.**

 **Please be sure to leave a REVIEW or PM if you have any ideas, questions, comments, or concerns for the story!**

 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	7. Foundation Finale, Shadow of Sakura! P1

**A/n: This chapter is also called "Part 3: Assimilation", but my friends, after reading the chapter, said this title sounded better.**

 **So, I think I need to say that this Finale is split in two chapters because it would be too long otherwise. This is Part One of the final part of the "Humble Beginnings Arc". It is also the first chapter to introduce the new arc, which is called the "Gathering Divisions Arc". In the new arc, more and more people will come into play as secrets are revealed and power displayed.**

 **Enough of this crap, on with the show!**

 **Chapter 7: Foundation of the Divisions, Finale! Shadow of Sakura! (Part 1 of 2)**

* * *

Naruto was peacefully snoozing in his bed, dreaming of scantily clad girls serving his every need as he lounged in a pool.

"WAKE UP YOU DUMBASS BLOND!"

"What the—YOWH!" Naruto cried out as two tiny feet slammed into his back.

Konohamaru… ugh, Naruto could only wish it was a nightmare.

The boy had joined in on the Divisions because his grandfather thought it would do him some good. His grandfather being their Head-Captain and the Kage of their village had _everything_ to do with it.

"Oi, oi! Konohamaru! Why'd you go and do that? I was having this really nice dream about the hot spring maidens, and—KUH!" Naruto was again kicked, this time in the face by the tiny boy who was dressed in black robes with a small wooden toy dagger in his white sash.

"I don't care about your pervert dreams, blondie! We've been knocking on your door and calling your name for the past ten minutes! The hell is wrong with you!" Konohamaru jabbed an accusatory finger in Naruto's face.

"What the—What do you mean _we_? Who else is here?" Naruto said nasally as he had to hold his bleeding nose shut.

Just then, Iruka came into view with a sigh and the shake of his head.

"I told Konohamaru to take it easy when waking you up…" Iruka slammed his fist down onto Konoahamaru's noggin, making the boy roll around on the floor while clutching the top of his head. "Seems none of you brats will make my life any easier…"

"Hey there, Iruka-sensei! What can I do for you?" Naruto asked, hiding his nose and lower half of his face behind a small paper fan. He still couldn't hide the nasally sound of his voice, however, as his nose was still being pinched shut.

"I came to give you more chakra control exercises to practice in your training… the Third Hokage himself has seen fit for these to go to you. You should feel lucky he's taken such an interest in your training." Iruka said, placing a few scrolls down on Naruto's nightstand.

Naruto's eyes lost the mischievous glint that had been sparkling in them before.

"Well now… that sounds like a lot of hard work ahead of me… What to do… What to do…" Naruto fanned himself lightly. "If one takes life too seriously, they can become an Uchiha, or Kuchiki… However, the same trap exists if one takes life too casually, as they can become a Nara or Kyoraku. Hmm, what to do…"

Iruka stared at Naruto for a while before rolling his eyes. "Regardless of your philosophical opinion, you _will_ be studying these exercises. The Third Hokage has placed a lot of faith in you. Take your exams seriously, as they are now only half a year away."

Naruto gave a jovial laugh as he fanned himself. "In that case, I'm sure I can scrape together a passing grade! However, if I should fail in some spectacular fashion, then please refrain from beating me! After all, I'm only a poor and humble ramen-loving candy shop owner! Aha, ha, ha, ha!"

"Ugh! Shut up!" Konohamaru jumped up and kicked Naruto in the face again, tearing apart the paper fan in the process. "Your voice is so annoying!"

"Wait, Konohamaru! Stop! Ow! Not there, not there!" Naruto cried in horror as Iruka watched the blond be pummeled by an eight-year-old.

After it was over, Iruka decided to finally speak up. "Now Konohamaru, why would go and beat up on your senior like that?"

Konohamaru, breathing harshly, crossed his arms in defiance. "I didn't like the way his face looked, Iruka-sensei. So, I rearranged it for him."

"Hmm," Iruka hummed in thought before walking away. "Very well. You two have fun with your little comic book games. I have to attend a meeting for all teachers at the Academy. I'll meet you two for ramen later in the evening."

With that, he waved a dismissive hand over his back and began exiting the apartment.

"Ramen!" the two boys cried happily behind him. Naruto was up again, this time without a single injury on him. Iruka knew Naruto would be fine playing with Konohamaru.

"Konohamaru, wait! No, not the face!"

But from the wails of pain behind him a moment later, he doubted if Naruto could fake injury well enough to keep Konohamaru from seriously hurting something this time.

He sighed. Boys would be boys…

* * *

"AH-HA! FINALLY CAUGHT YOU ALL RED-HANDED!" a voice cut through the scene like a hot knife in butter.

When all eyes turned to the intruder, they pinned their unexpected guest with the weight of their presence.

What made this even more significant was the fact that this trespasser was, in fact, Sakura Haruno.

"Oh my…" Hinata gasped, covering her mouth delicately.

"What the hell…?" Kiba asked in equal parts shock and surprise.

"Haruno…" Shikamaru grumbled while scratching his head in confusion. Choji tilted his head, pausing only for a moment in eating his powdered donuts.

Sasuke and Ino said nothing as they merely glared at Sakura, then each other while gritting their teeth in annoyance.

Finally, Naruto locked eyes with Sakura, and she collapsed to her knees.

" _What the…? What is this heavy feeling? I can't breathe… I can't move… All I feel is his stare on me… It's crushing me… It feels like I'm drowning in iron… And all he's doing is_ lookingatme _… This was a bad idea… I feel like I'm going to_ die—!"

Before she could think any further, a veil of white cloth covered her vision, and she found herself able to gulp up air into her lungs. She could breath. She could think.

"Get a'hold of yourself there, Forehead…" Ino said, but without her usual edge toward the pink-haired girl. She was kneeling in front her former best-friend, shielding her from the gaze of Naruto and the others. Ino gave a small sad smile as she smoothed down Sakura's hair and comforted the girl. "You're making women everywhere look bad if you can't handle even this small amount of spiritual power."

"Sakura Haruno… this is a very grave transgression you have committed…" Naruto spoke, and Sakura didn't even recognize his voice. It was gruff and old, like a veteran elder. "Tell me, how do you plea?"

* * *

Just earlier the same day, if you had asked Sakura about willingly stepping foot in Naruto's apartment, she would have laughed in your face before insulting your intelligence.

Naruto was the lamest kid in their entire school. Her parents always told her to stay away from him because he was raised without parents and possessed no manners to speak of. When she began attending the academy, she witnessed Naruto's punk attitude and hooligan nature firsthand. He was rude, crude, and lewd. More so than any boy their age should be. He was loud in the academy, he used bad words when he was in a mood, and he ate like a wild animal. His clothes were shabby and his overt casualness with everyone around him chaffed her polite upbringing. The blond boy ran around like he owned the place, and talked a big game without ever having anything to show for it.

It was maddening! Sakura simply didn't understand it. How could the blond be so prideful, and yet so stupid?

And to make matters worse, Ino was obviously hanging out with the moron!

"Oh, come on, Ino." Sakura groaned, her expression pained as Ino sat coolly atop a desk. "I know you've been getting friendly with those losers. How can you sit there, and be so nonchalant about it?"

"Hmm," Ino hummed as she went through a magazine on civilian fashions. "What I don't get is how ladies can wear such big hats without feeling silly… All those fake flowers and frills on them, too. It's just ridiculous. And these strange dresses with so many layers of fabric… Ugh, it makes my stomach turn just looking."

Ino tossed the magazine over her shoulder, hitting Kiba atop the head.

When Ino glanced over at Sakura, she saw an expression on the pinkette's face like a cat ate the canary.

"You know, Ino, if I didn't know any better…" Sakura sang while tapping her chin cutely, "Well, I'd say you actually _like_ hanging out with those hooligans."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't… Who's to say really?" Ino stretched her legs out in front of her.

"So…?" Sakura asked coyly, looking up at Ino as she sat at her desk unlike her friend who had her butt atop her own. "Which of them is it?"

"What?" Ino narrowed her eyes.

"You know!" Sakura cackled like a witch, her left hand cutely in front her mouth while her right waved at Ino. "What boy is it, hmm?"

"I think you've gone insane." Ino sneered, crossing her arms tightly.

"Choji is the nicest," Sakura started, her smile sickly sweet. "He may be a little pudgy, but he's kind-hearted and polite. Though if you two went on a date, he'd probably eat enough for both of you thanks to his clan's ninjutsu…"

Ino raised an eyebrow, surprised that Sakura knew anything at all about a clan's techniques. Then again, the Akimichi clan wasn't much for secrets in their ninjutsu as only someone with Akimichi genes could stomach eating five times their weight in fatty foods to build the stored energy for size adjustment.

"Kiba is just… ugh, I can't even…" Sakura pulled a face. "He's almost as bad as Naruto. In fact, he's worse! He had to be taught manners and proper etiquette, and still acts like a street mutt with no home training."

"Hey!" Kiba shouted, hearing the conversation.

"Shut up, Kiba!" Ino and Sakura snapped in unison. Kiba ducked his head in the _Deathberry_ manga volume he was reading.

Sakura rolled her eyes in disgust before turning back to Ino. "Like I was saying, Kiba is too rough and stupid to be the one. Then there is Shikamaru. A guy as lazy and unenthused if ever there was one. A date with him would be cloud watching, or some other such nonsense."

"Shika and Cho are like brothers to me… and Kiba is more of a dumb cousin than anything." Ino said, flicking dirt from under her fingernails.

"Then its… Eww!" Sakura jumped up from her seat, and Ino glared at her. "Eww, eww, eww! Ino! How could you?"

"How could I what, Forehead?" Ino asked behind gritted teeth.

"Naruto? Of all people? Him?"

A head of sun-kissed hair poked up from behind the two girls. Three kunai embedded themselves in the hardwood beside the blond head of hair.

The blond head of hair slowly ducked back down from whence it came…

"You seem to be making a thing out of the boys I train alongside." Ino said, now drumming her fingers on the desk. "I hang out with girls, too, ya know. I train with Hinata. I'm on good terms with Tenten from the year ahead of us. I grab lunch and stuff with them. I even said something nice to Ami last week."

"Now that is surprising." Sakura replied, blinking twice. Ino was never nice to Ami. It must have thrown the poor girl for a loop. "But still, Ino! Naruto?"

"I'm not dating him, if that's what you've been getting at this whole time." Ino rolled her eyes. "We train, we talk, we eat. He sometimes buys me things when I make him. Naruto is basically a wallet with legs for me."

"I don't believe that." Sakura deadpanned.

Ino smirked. "Good, because I've been trying my best to be nicer, and not see people as walking wallets is a great start to that."

"I mean, I get that Naruto has improved a bit over the last few years, but he's still so… Naruto!" Sakura emphasized with a gag.

"Tell me something, Sakura." Ino began, leaning forward to be in Sakura's personal space. "Is this a real inquiry because you feel some genuine concern for my wellbeing, or something? Or is this because your popularity might take a hit if your one-sided rivalry isn't there anymore?"

Sakura's eye twitched and her fists clenched tightly. "Are you trying to say you're better than me?"

Ino continued on a bit louder, ignoring Sakura's interruption, "Or maybe you're just displaying your usual childish pent-up aggressions? Well, Sakura- _chan_ , which is it?"

"OOOhhh! Ino-pig, you make me so mad!" Sakura screeched, a vein visibly throbbing in her forehead. "But it doesn't even matter! I know without a doubt it is Naruto! I know it because I saw it!"

"What?" Ino blinked in total confusion.

Three heads popped up this time. Seven shuriken lodged quickly into the wood over the heads.

The three heads quickly disappeared.

"I caught you red-handed, Ino- _chan_!" Sakura sang smugly as Ino turned back to her. "I saw you and Naruto walking through the abandoned block in the village. You two were talking and laughing with each other. It was almost like the two of you were on some kind of—"

"Sasuke." Ino sighed while pinching the bridge of her nose.

The name-drop alone gave Ino exactly what she wanted out of the pink-haired girl. Sakura sat up, ramrod straight in her seat. Her jade green eyes lit up and landed directly on Ino with undivided attention.

Honestly, it was crazy. Sakura's obsession with Sasuke was like a bad idea with deep roots in the girl's brain.

Though Ino knew she really couldn't say much… seeing as she started the green-eyed girl out on that particular path…

"Huh? What?" Sakura's cheeks went flush, and her voice receded to a timid squeak. "What about my Sasuke-kun?"

" _Your_ Sasuke-kun?" a voice in the front of the classroom called out.

"NOT NOW!" Sakura bellowed like a furious lioness.

"…I'll just be over here…"

Sakura turned back to Ino, who rolled her eyes at the pink-haired girl.

"Naruto and I were just as you said. We were walking together, talking about Volume 31 of the Deathberry manga and laughing. _But_ , the reason the two of us were together is because he was showing me a shortcut to the Uchiha district where we were to meet Sasuke in order to hang out." Ino shrugged while Sakura's blush intensified and several girls in the class were watching her with obvious envy in their eyes. "So, there you go. You caught me. I was going to hang out with Sasuke Uchiha at his house."

Then Ino narrowed her eyes at Sakura and crossed her arms as well as her legs in a very womanish fashion. "But then again, none of that is really any of your business. Now is it?"

"I… You… But he…" Sakura sputtered while looking around. Sasuke had already disappeared from the classroom. He never stuck around long unless Naruto, Kiba, or Shikamaru asked him. "No one hangs out with Sasuke! Especially not at his house! H-He's Sasuke! The last Uchiha! The forlorn prince of Konoha!"

"Geez are you living in a fantasy world…" Ino shook her head sadly. "He's just a guy like all the others we go to school with. True, he's more skilled and certainly more focused than most of the others, but he's still a person."

Even Ino had to blink after her own words. A few years ago, no one in their right mind could have rationalized something like that to her. Sasuke was the closest thing to prince she had ever thought possible. He had seemed so perfect and untouchable.

But now… Now she knew who he really was… How he had become so cool and aloof…

She didn't wish that process on the village's worst enemies…

"But… But… He's still Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, seeming to be at the end of her rope.

"Yeah, he is." Ino agreed easily enough. "He has a nice house and makes my mother envious of how tidy he keeps the place."

"Even your parents have been there?!" Sakura looked ready to faint. In her mind, Ino was practically married to Sasuke with all this new knowledge of how close they were. She knew that Sasuke acknowledged Ino and the others in the nonsense Divisions gang at school, but she would have never believed in her wildest dreams that he hung out with them outside of it.

" _But no… That's wrong_ …" Sakura thought to herself as she sank further and further into her shock. " _They were up at the Hokage Monument that one time… and they disappear after classes… How could I have never connected this before? When did they get so friendly? How could I have let my beloved Sasuke-kun slip through my fingers without even a fight_ …?"

Sakura let her head hit the desk. It was over. Her life was over. Sasuke was beyond her now.

There was no hope.

"I'm not trying to brag," Ino sighed as she jumped off the desk and stretched lightly. "We train using his family's practice grounds, and sometimes he likes to show us new things he's come up with, or something he's been practicing from his family's scrolls. Sasuke is actually pretty approachable, Sakura… Well, once you get past that enormous stick up his ass…"

"I didn't realize I was spoken of in such disrespect behind my back by one such as you," came the sudden drawl of a cool and collected voice behind the pair of young women. Sakura scrambled out of her seat with a yelp. "One would thing you'd have better manners, Yamanaka."

Sasuke Uchiha had appeared behind the two without warning. Sakura's heart was racing, and not because it was the center of her affection. " _In the name of_ Kami _…! When and how did he get there_!?" Sakura placed a hand over her heart and hoped to collect herself before she embarrassed herself in front of Sasuke.

Ino didn't even look surprised. In fact, she looked bored with Sasuke appearing out of thin air. Almost as if she saw him do it. "Anything I have to say, Uchiha, I can and will do so to your face. I think I've made that pretty clear over these last couple of years."

Sasuke glanced over at Sakura for a split second then returned his full attention to Ino. "Indeed, you have proven yourself one without shame or common decency. Just look at the company you keep…"

Ino narrowed her eyes, but then blinked in confusion. She glanced around the class, and gave a small curse for having missed something. When she returned to glaring at Sasuke, he had just turned away from her and Sakura in the same moment. The girls who were still hanging around the classroom began to whisper and mutter amongst themselves.

"Never the less, your presence is required. The meeting will commence shortly." The last Uchiha said while walking away. "Tardiness is next to poverty, I've been told… So, the question is, should I wait to escort you there in a timely fashion? Or maybe I should just go and report to the others that you'll be running late."

Ino had a smile that was like a razor's edge. "Oh my, look who thinks himself such a big shot. If memory serves me correctly, our last racing score was tied at seven a piece."

Sakura looked between Ino and Sasuke, trying to figure out what they were playing at. A race? Why would they need to race? And what meeting? And with what people? So many questions were buzzing through her head.

Sasuke looked at the blonde girl over his shoulder, onyx-colored eyes narrowing in challenge. "Shall we break the tie with my victory?"

"You're naïve if you think I'll let you win." Ino snorted, but walked up beside the Uchiha. The two were now staring at the open window in front of them.

"Your opinion and charity matter not, Yamanaka." Sasuke retorted coolly. "Only facts remain. I have surpassed you ages ago. Prepare to lose."

"I'll let you call it then, since you'll need the second-long head start." Ino smiled, and Sasuke seethed.

"I will make you eat those words in training later." Sasuke gritted out, but Ino did not flinch.

"That's fine, because you're about to eat a nice helping of my dust, little Uchiha." Ino grinned.

The two flashed away in a blur of purple and blue that disappeared in a sudden gust of displaced air. Sakura was left windswept and gaping at their speed.

"They… They didn't even move from their standing position! What the hell kind chakra-enhanced speed was that?" she thought in absolute shock and awe. "When did Ino become so fast? I hardly saw them disappear, let alone move out the window! I didn't even hear a single footstep, never mind the fact that they're actually running off somewhere!"

"UUGH! But I can't give up!" Sakura shouted to herself out loud, gripping her long pink hair in frustration. "I won't lose to Ino-pig like this! They may be fast, but I can still catch up to them! I'll follow their tracks, and pick up the trial! _CHA_! Love will conquer anything!"

With her mind made up, Sakura bolted from the classroom as fast as her legs would carry her. Though she hesitated for a second, she leapt out the window and began looking for any sign at all of Ino and Sasuke's quick departure.

She found it without much looking. The tree right outside had a branch snapped unnaturally hard. Climbing up to it, Sakura found a footprint stamped hard as if someone had jumped from the branch.

"Hmm, this is obviously Sasuke's footprint… It's too wide to be Ino, plus Ino has been wearing a different type of shoe for the past few years. This print is a shinobi sandal, not a shoe, so it has to be Sasuke…" Sakura analyzed for a second, "Given the direction of the footprint, and the heft of it, I say they're racing on a direct course to where they're going. And they'll probably want to avoid the streets, if they don't want to slow down in their weird race… So, they must have taken the rooftops! Which means that if I find footprints on the rooftops going in… _that_ direction, I'll be able to tell where they went in the village by narrowing the places I know Ino visits on a regular basis! CHA! Smart girls rule!"

Sakura ran across the street to the nearest building, climbing up the side with almost cat-like ease as she landed nimbly on the roof. There she found two sets of footprints at one end of the roof, and the same set at the opposite edge. "So, this time Ino was hitting the ground hard, too… Which means that their race really picked up as soon as they cleared the Academy. Though Ino's prints are much lighter than the ones left by Sasuke, which means she was lighter on her feet than him. That either means she was going faster, or he's not as skilled in the high-speed movement as Ino apparently… Hmm…"

So deep was she in her investigation that she didn't even realize what she just said could have been taken as a slight against her precious Sasuke.

"None the less, they are still heading in the same direction from the Academy. Which means… they have plenty of buildings until short of the abandoned district where Naruto hangs out! OH! They've gone to hang out with Naruto and their little group! _CHA_! I'VE CRACKED THE CASE!"

Sakura pumped a fist into the air and gave herself a pat on the back for using her intellect to figure it all out in under ten minutes. She dashed across the rooftops cautiously, being sure to be safe unlike Ino and Sasuke, whose shoe prints were sometimes at the very edges of the roofs. Half the time, it looked almost as if the racing pair propelled themselves forward off the edges where they could have fallen and broken their necks. Sakura couldn't imagine why. There was no race in the world she would need to win that badly to be so neglectful with her safety and life.

* * *

Arriving at the last rooftop, Sakura stopped before jumping down and landing in a crouch. This was the abandoned district. Sakura knew her mother would be so mad with her if she found out she had been there for any reason. She was always told to avoid the place unless she wanted to end up dead. Sakura never really understood why her mom told her that, but she recently discovered that Naruto hung around the place, so she figured it was a place for hoodlums and hooligans to have an anarchy type of fun with no rules and zero authority.

The large apartment complex stood out like a sore thumb. All the area around it was in need of repairs, and the building itself didn't look too fresh. Though what threw the pink-haired girl for a loop was the fact that in a corner of the apartment complex's courtyard… a garden of some sort was growing. Being the naturally curious girl that she was, Sakura walked over to the garden, observing the fact that several vegetables and medicinal herbs were growing well in the dilapidated courtyard as if in the Garden of Gods.

"This is… weird…" Sakura said, inspecting an herb used to ease burns and chakra exhaustion. "Who is even growing this stuff? Shinobi can grow these plants in their window ledges, and civilians would need a special permit from the Shinobi Affairs Office to grow their own… I'll have to tell Iruka-sensei I saw this tom—"

Sakura jerked back as she heard a voice shouting from the apartment complex. With all the training her class had been going through the past few months to prepare for their exams and becoming Genin ninja, the Haruno daughter threw herself into the shadows and waited with baited breath in hiding. She cursed herself for letting this be the one day she didn't carry an emergency blade like her mother told her. Oh, how her mother would cry if she discovered her daughter dead at the hands of some street thug, or worst—

"QUIET! ALL OF YOU, DATTEBAYO!"

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed in a whisper, breathing a sigh of relief. Her shoulders relaxed as she took her hand off a splintered wooden frame. She wouldn't need that emergency wooden shiv lesson that Iruka-sensei had been drilling them on. "I can just ask Naruto if he's seen Ino and Sasuke come through here. Or, I'm right and they'll be up there… somewhere…"

Sakura honestly had no idea where in the entire complex Naruto's voice was even coming from. He sounded pretty high, but the building had about five or six floors. He could be on the third floor, and she wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Not to mention where on either of the floors he was. There had to be at least ten apartments per floor. What if someone actually lived here?

Or worst! What if she went up there and street toughs were hanging out just waiting for a young beautiful maiden like her?

Sakura felt faint on her feet. Suddenly, all her courage and tenacity left her. She felt very small. Like the little girl she was the day before ninja school… before she met Ino… before she met Naruto… before she knew Sasuke even existed…

All of a sudden, her adventure into claiming her true love's heart from Ino's evil clutches seemed stupid and scary. She was in a place she had never been. A place she was told to never go… Her mother's voice and face sprang to mind, tears running down her face.

" _You could have been hurt! You could have been killed, Sakura_!" her mom would cry.

Then her dad would just stand there, a patient expression on his face before asking if she was positively sure she wanted to continue her path of becoming a ninja. A ninja who was supposed to be brave. To be fearless. To be strong and powerful and serve the village with honor and glory…

"And that's supposed to be me…" Sakura muttered to herself, still hiding in the shadows as she began to hear more voices in the building above her. "That has to be me! I have to be a ninja!"

The voices sounded like they were coming from the top floor.

Sakura screwed her eyes shut tight. "If… If I can't do this! Be in a place inside the village and feel safe, then how should I feel walking down any street or buying fruit in the market? I'm not going to feel like that my whole life just because we live in this dangerous place! We live in a ninja village! I have to be a ninja! Because if I'm not a ninja, then I'm just…! I'm just…! I don't even know what!"

Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs as she ran at the stairs. Her heart was racing. She felt like walls were closing in on her. She hated that feeling. It drove her crazy. Her father always said it was the Haruno family survival instinct. That when the tough got going, the Haruno family fought like cornered wild animals. The Haruno family always made it out of a bad spot of trouble.

As she ran from floor to floor, Sakura knew somewhere inside her that he was right. Let the goons and thugs come for her. She'd bite their fingers off. Let a perv try to take her, she'd make sure he never tried it with anyone ever again. Sakura Haruno was not going to live a life in fear.

Because that was no life worth living at all.

* * *

Sakura finally stopped in front a door at the very top. Unlike all the doors she ran past, this one did not have paint chipping away from it. In fact, it seemed recently painted. Plus, there was even a small garden of plants growing from the ledge. Sakura didn't care about that though. She jerked at the doorknob, and found it to be unlocked. As she threw the door open, jade green eyes caught sight of several familiar faces that turned immediately toward her intrusion.

"AH-HA!" her voice cut through their scene like a hot knife through butter, "FINALLY CAUGHT YOU ALL RED-HANDED!"

When all eyes actually registered her as a trespasser, Sakura felt the weight of their gazes pinning her in place. All bravo drained from her as some of them looked not only confused by her presence, but angry as well.

Finally, Naruto locked eyes with her, and an unbearable weight crashed down onto her shoulders. The pink-haired girl collapsed to her knees. What was this feeling? She couldn't move. She felt her breath leave her. She couldn't fill her lungs. It was like drowning. No, it was crushing. Suffocating.

Oh Kami-sama, what fresh hell was this? Was this Naruto? Was he sucking the air from her lungs because she had invaded his territory? All he was doing was looking at her. Starring into her eyes with an unnaturally stern expression she had never seen from him before. This was terrible. This was death. She was going to die. She was going to die, and they were all just going to watch—!

Before she could think any further, Ino was in front of her, a white haori coat on just like the one Naruto went parading around the village in. Sakura gasped heavily in that same second, gulping down as much air as her lungs could handle. She could breath. She could think. Thank the gods… Thank the gods!

"Get a'hold of yourself there, Forehead…" Ino's voice was soft and comforting. Sakura didn't care about anything else in the world as she clung to her friend for dear life. She had felt her sanity slip away for a second there, and it had scared her more than anything. Sakura felt Ino's hand move to smooth down her hair in gentle, petting motions. Normally she hated when people touched her hair, but at the moment she could care less. "You're making women everywhere look bad if you can't handle even this small amount of spiritual power."

What…? What did that even mean?

Sakura was still shaking, and she became aware that a cold sheen of sweat was upon her face.

What kind of hell did Naruto put her in by simply staring at her?

Or, had it all been in her imagination? Surely Naruto of all people possessed no demonic power to make a person die or feel like they were dying just by staring at them. If that were the case, he would have killed Sasuke years ago instead of befriending him.

What did it mean, this—this spiritual power? What nonsense was that?

"Sakura Haruno…" a voice that Sakura didn't recognize called out at her. Not to her. But, _at_ _her_. As if she were in a far-off chamber where she was imprisoned.

Did this spiritual power have some connection to chakra? Or maybe its spiritual component? But it made no sense, what so ever! You couldn't use only one half of chakra! People could die trying that! Even an imbalance of chakra could seriously hurt the individual as told to them by every teacher at the academy!

"This is a very grave transgression you have committed…" the voice continued, and Sakura looked up and past Ino with bleary eyes. The voice belonged to Naruto. It was Naruto speaking. But… the voice was all wrong. Naruto's voice was annoying, loud, and immature. This voice that came from Naruto's mouth… it was old, ancient even. It was gruff and somber, like that of the village elders.

"Tell me," Naruto went on, and Sakura avoided his gaze like the plague, "How do you plea?"

* * *

Ino was over to Naruto in an instantly, chopping him over the head with her hand. "Shut the hell up, will ya! Can't you see we scared the poor girl half to death with the way we zeroed in on her! Give her a few minutes of peace, goddammit!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" Naruto whined as Ino continued to lightly beat at him. "Okay, okay! Just stop! What the hell is she doing here anyway, dattebayo?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes into a glare again at the frail appearance of Sakura. She looked like a leaf in the wind. It was disgusting. "That is something I think we can all agree on for once."

Shikamaru's attention was not on Sakura, but instead between Ino and Sasuke. "Didn't you mention Sakura as the reason for being late earlier? Did she by chance follow you here?"

Ino waved a hand dismissively. "Impossible. Sasuke and I raced here using flash-step. There is no way Sakura kept us with us going at that speed."

"Yet highly possible she tracked you two at a much lower speed." Shikamaru sighed while shaking his head. "If you two disappeared from the academy in so flashy an exit with racing each other on your minds, then you weren't concerned at all about concealing your movements."

"I believe…" Sasuke closed his eyes to keep from glaring at the Nara genius, "That you've just accused us of sloppiness."

"Sakura is here in our meeting having a near-death experience." Shikamaru deadpanned with a gesture toward stated pink-haired girl, "I think we are way past the point of accusations."

"But how did she know to find us here?" Kiba asked while scratching his head. Akamaru barked in agreement. "And was that her screaming earlier? Sounded like someone came at her with an axe, or somethin'…"

"Gotta say," Choji chimed in with a good-natured smile, "Sakura sure has a future in the tracking or sensor department if normal ninja work doesn't pan out for her."

"Yes, I agree…" Hinata hesitantly put in, her own smile timid. "It must have taken quite the bit of legwork and deductive reasoning for her to get here. There are Chunin ninja that have trouble tracking us down when they need to find us."

"Don't go giving her too much credit just yet." Ino snorted while casting off her white haori. It landed on a couch that was normally not against a wall. All the furniture had been spaced out for their meeting. "None of us were too concerned with covering our tracks or anything. For all we know she could have followed any one of us here."

"T-Two sets of footprints…" Sakura muttered, talking to herself. "One light and practiced, the other heel-heavy and careless…"

Ino's face fell as she face-palmed herself. "Yup, no… It was me and Sasuke… Goddammit…"

Naruto turned to Sasuke, who looked enraged with his eyes closed. "Heel-heavy and careless, Sasuke? I thought we were working on that?"

"…It will be corrected… _Expediently_ …" Sasuke snarled through barely moving lips.

"Man am I glad I left to get here way before you two…" Kiba laughed, "She could have just followed me. I practically jogged straight here!"

"Am I incorrect in assuming we are forgetting the issue at hand?" Sasuke snapped, his eyes opening to pin Kiba with a frosty glare. "We have an intruder in our midst. In the heart of the Divisions. Is she not to be dealt with?"

Kiba was still in a teasing mood though. "I still find it funny that the girl who wants to command the Stealth Force and the guy who wants to be the elite of nobility were tracked down in less than twenty minutes by a pink-haired kunoichi-in-training. You have to admit that it's a little funny."

Sasuke turned completely to Kiba, his expression one of complete fury. "I admit nothing!"

"Doesn't make this situation any less of a drag… Geez, how troublesome…" Shikamaru muttered while clicking his teeth.

Choji and Hinata were quiet for the most, observing the fact that Sakura was slowly, but surely coming back around to her. Her shaking was stopping and the frail look of her was fast becoming replaced with bewilderment to the situation she had landed herself in. Even as Ino and Naruto argued in the background about an increase in speed and stealth training, Hinata and Choji silently watched Sakura. She was looking around Naruto's apartment with growing curiosity. It was kind of amusing for the two of them to see her gaze around for a minute or two before becoming aware of their attention being solely on her even as their cohorts bickered and raged at one another. She would get all self-conscious, bowing her head to hide her awkwardness and flushing cheek while avoiding their gazes. She probably thought they could make her feel like Naruto did. Thankfully though, the difference in power between them and Sakura was not so monstrously wide as between her and Naruto.

As between Naruto and most people, for that matter…

* * *

"SILENCE!" Naruto barked in a gruff voice, slamming the point of the bokken in his hands to the floor as Yamamoto would have his walking stick. The sound was like thunder ringing off the walls, and everyone fell quiet and formed back into a line-up on either side of him. They all returned to their respectable stations.

On his left were Hinata, Sasuke, and Shikamaru. On his right were Ino, Kiba, and Choji. This was the Divisions. A presentation of power and might for all of Konoha to aspire toward. Even Ino, though she was without her haori. This was fine, though, as Hinata and Choji never wore the ones they were presented anyway. Neither of the two felt worthy of the Captain coat for one reason or another. Kiba was never given one in the first place. Everyone knew why, and even Kiba couldn't argue a case for having a Captain's haori of his own.

So other than Naruto himself, the only others currently wearing their coats were Sasuke and Shikamaru. This was fine as well, since his lead position at the head of the line-up made the Captain's haori stand out even more prominently. It was a symbol of power. Of status.

And right now, Sakura needed to see that he was in charge here. He was going to take none of her know-it-all attitude, or Sasuke-favoritism.

It was Naruto time, dattebayo!

"Sakura Haruno…" Naruto spoke her name as if issuing sentence already. None of the others even flinched. They knew not to give away the game. Good, because if Kiba burst out laughing or Shikamaru yawned, then he was likely to beat them half to death with his bokken. "I will ask a very simple question. You will respond with a concise answer. Is that understood?"

"Y-Yes…" she mumbled, not daring to look him in the eye.

A part of him had felt bad about what happened to her earlier. Then a bigger part of him remembered the panic that had flooded his brain when she came bursting through his front door. Iruka, Konohamaru, even the damn Hokage had the decency to knock before coming inside.

A part of him thought she was the ANBU Black Ops or some rogue ninja that watched them for weeks and was coming to kill Sasuke or maybe take one of the clan heirs for ransom.

He had panicked, and tried with all considerable chakra to simply stun the enemy before deciding to either fight or flee.

Imagine his surprise when he looked up to see that it wasn't a rogue ninja or the secret police, but instead the girl he had a crush on a year ago.

Well, he could flush that little fantasy down the drain after today... No way was she going to go out with the guy that practically shoved his chakra in her face to jumpstart her halfway through a panic attack…

"Why are you here, Sakura?" Naruto asked, his voice now coming out kindly. He shifted his stance to appear more approachable. He relaxed his shoulders and opened his arms at his sides after sheathing his bokken. Taking a moment to blink, he made sure his eyes were perfectly laid to seem gentle and warm like a friendly and social person.

This was the stance of Sōsuke Aizen before his betrayal. Naruto hoped Sakura could appreciate such a change in approach.

"I, umm… Well…" Sakura didn't know where to look as her hands fidgeted together.

"It's okay, Sakura, you can look at me." Naruto smiled and spread his arms as if to give her a hug.

"Oh, umm… Okay…" Sakura met his eyes, and found only a bright warmness flutter over her. Like the gentle rays of the sun. "I came here today, because… Well… You guys have been acting really weird over the last couple of years. You've been secretive and strange. And I… I wanted to know why."

"FOOL!" Naruto roared, making Sakura flinch back, like he slapped her across the face. "You have allowed your curiosity to lead you astray! Privacy within dealings is everything to a ninja village, namely the one we are all living within. The punishment for such intrusion… is death!"

Sakura gasped, but Ino rolled her eyes super hard at Naruto's dramatic declaration. "That only applies to ninja and spies of foreign or traitorous intent. The most Sakura might get is imprisonment for a few months. _At the most_."

"Well damn, Ino, there's no reason to ruin the suspense I'm trynna build…" Naruto muttered while rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yes there is, because she probably thinks we're going to kill her." Ino snapped back.

"We should put it to a vote, then." Shikamaru proposed, and everyone agreed.

"All those in favor of execution." Naruto put forth, and only one person raised their hand.

Of course, this person was Sasuke, who had his eyes closed and was looking supremely unconcerned with the fact that he was calling for the execution of a twelve-year-old girl.

Sakura's heart broke a little right there…

"Holy hell, Captain Uchiha… That's just cold, man…" Kiba whistled while shaking his head sadly.

"It is the law. The law written does not specifically state if the enemy has to be a traitor or foreign adversary. It merely states that any found stalking, spying, or otherwise invading the space of citizens of Konoha will be subject to termination." Sasuke opened his eyes, his gaze landing swiftly upon Ino. "Termination means execution. We all know that is absolute."

Ino stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm fairly certain that wording wasn't created with someone like Sakura in mind at the time. The Founders were concerned with powerful warring factions, not pink-haired school girls."

"If she had lived back in the time, I'm sure they would have her head on a pike." Sasuke supplied coolly.

"If she lived back in those times, Sakura would be bare-foot and pregnant." Ino countered with a hand on her hip.

"Regardless," Naruto stepped in before Sasuke and Ino put their fists where their mouths were, "Sasuke is the only vote in favor, and so it is taken off the table. Any other suggestions?"

Shikamaru stroked his chin for a moment, "I guess we could simply report her to the proper authorities. She wasn't invited here in the first place, and has not been friendly toward most of us. In fact, the only person she isn't hostile toward is Sasuke. And… he just voted for her death, so…"

"Hmm, fair point there." Choji agreed. "But, who are the proper authorities in this situation?"

"…Her parents, I guess…" Kiba shrugged cluelessly.

Sakura gasped. She would probably take execution over being ratted out to her parents. They would surely pull her from the Shinobi Program and make her take up some ridiculous trade, like textiles or something! She didn't want to make clothes! She wanted to wear them as she journeyed around the world as a kunoichi undercover!

While the pink-haired girl was having a miniature crisis, everyone else looked between themselves.

No one wanted to be a tattletale. It was just that simple.

"Okay, any other suggestions?" Naruto put forth, and everyone adopted thinking poses.

"U-Umm… I have a s-suggestion… That is, if you all don't mind…" Hinata began, the nervous habit of her index fingers pushing together. The Hyuga clan heiress rarely ever spoke in their meetings, and this would actually be the first time she proposed… well, _anything_. Hinata had always been more than comfortable letting the others take the lead in conversation, but now she felt almost as though she would be the only one thinking reasonably.

Hinata took a deep breath and steadied her courage. "Why don't we simply accept Haruno-san into the Divisions? That way, we'll be able to avoid any future offenses by her."

"I like that idea, Hinata!" Choji eagerly agreed to the idea, gleefully cheering. "Forcing someone to join us is much easier than actually convincing them to!"

Hinata felt a little apprehensive about that line of thought, but said nothing.

"Lets put it to a vote then," Naruto nodded to Hinata, who blushed and looked away shyly. "All those in favor of initiating Sakura Haruno into the Divisions?"

Naruto didn't raise his hand, but only because he would be a neutral party to this. Shikamaru, being a smart guy raised his own simply because having Sakura would increase their numbers. Choji, who was an all-around nice guy voted in favor of Sakura joining. Hinata proudly raised her own hand, being that it was her idea and all. Ino looked a little miffed with the whole idea, but still favored Sakura being in the group. Sasuke clicked his teeth and closed his eyes without putting up a hand. Kiba looked over at Sakura, snorted, and dismissed her with a wave.

"Well, there you have it. Sakura is to be inducted into the Divisions of Konoha at once!" Naruto proclaimed, and Sakura breathed a sigh of relief she didn't even know she was holding.

" _Maybe this is my destiny. My chance to make Sasuke see me for who I really am. He doesn't think much of me now, but maybe this will change his opinion_." Sakura thought while finally getting up from where she had been on her knees the entire time. "Can I just ask about what exactly is going on? The Divisions, I mean. It just you guys playing around. It doesn't mean anything. It's all just some game you all play."

"Perhaps," Choji was the one to speak up, "it may seem that way to you, however, to us the Divisions is very much real. We formed this organization devoted to the protection of Konoha."

Sakura squinted her eyes, appearing very skeptical of the whole thing. "But that's what the ninja of the village are for."

Shikamaru shook his head. "Only in times of emergency like invasion do the ninja act as the protectorate of the village. Besides, shinobi… are steeped in shadows…"

When all the others bowed their heads at this, Sakura became even more confused about what they were talking about.

"We have gotten off topic," Sasuke said with a small amount of edge to his tone, "and to the point; Sakura Haruno has yet to be inducted into our ranks. There is no need to inform her of our future goals just yet."

"Sasuke is right," Ino chimed in with a hand on her hip. "You guys always running your mouths… no wonder none of you are ninja yet… Sakura still has to be one of us and that hasn't happened yet!"

"But still," Choji turned to Ino with a smile. "No need to be secret about our self-assured mission. We of the Divisions will protect this village from all threats! Night or day! Our justice will be backed by unique and overwhelming power! It burns in us!"

"Tone it down, Choji, geez…" Ino shook her head. "You sound almost like those two idiots who run laps around the village in green spandex…"

"Again, I bring up our straying from the matter at hand." Sasuke was definitely annoyed by this point, his fists clenched at his sides.

Naruto clapped his hands together lightly, bringing all attention back to him. He took up a small and cheap hand fan that covered the lower half of his face. "As loathe as I am to admit it, the most honorable last Uchiha is right. Sakura has yet to join us, and all this talk is pointless until she's become one of us. Her initiation is not yet started."

"Initiation?" Sakura echoed the word in confusion. "But… I thought all I had to do was agree to join. What could I possibly have to do to be one of you guys?"

Kiba leaned out of line up in order to stare at Sakura with a rather smug look. "You must share with the group something about yourself that you want no other person to know. Something that ties you to this organization on pain of that secret being exposed to the world."

Sakura nearly died again, but this time from embarrassment. A secret!? They wanted a secret out of her!?

Her face was tomato red as she fidgeted in front the Division members. "B-But… I don't have any secrets! I'm a very open girl! Honest!"

Kiba turned away, muttering, "Yeah, sure… For your precious Sasuke-kun maybe…"

Ino and Sakura were on him in a hurry, both slamming their fists down on his head.

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH THERE, DOG-BREATH!" Sakura yelled as she stood over Kiba's crumpled form.

"Yeah, mutt, you're talking about a lady! Don't you forget it!" Ino shouted while shaking her fist at him, which was still steaming from the speed at which she struck him.

Hinata, however, was more vocal and less violent with her disapproval. "Kiba… You should never say such things about a woman… If you continue to… You'll never get married in this life…"

Even Sasuke and Naruto blinked at her words. For Hinata, that was as good as anything Sakura or Ino could have hit him with physically.

Kiba got back up, dusting himself off while staring at Hinata in horror. Hinata ignored him in favor of Ino, who was now snorting as she spoke to Sakura.

"Come on, Forehead, everyone's got a secret!" Ino said with a pointed look at her pink-haired rival.

"Umm, umm…" Sakura struggled to get the words out, her face once again heating up. "Oh well… ummm… Okay fine! I like Sasuke! There! I said it! I like Sasuke!"

Kiba, Naruto, and Choji immediately began to boo her.

"That's not a secret!" Choji gave her a thumbs-down.

"Lame!" Kiba stuck his tongue out at her.

"You are literally the worst kind of person." Sasuke kicked Naruto for that one.

"Sakura," Shikamaru was pinching the bridge of his nose, "How can I put this? It's not a secret if anyone with working eyes has seen you in the last… however long it's been since you first laid eyes on Sasuke."

Ever the peaceful one, Hinata spoke up in Sakura's defense while her own cheeks were dusted a little pink. "Y-You guys… I don't think we should be so harsh on Sakura-san… she… What she did took a lot of c-courage…"

Hinata chanced a glance at Naruto, but only felt her heart stir at the sight of him. She squeaked as she looked away and hid her face.

Naruto, however, shrugged as he had no idea what Hinata was on about. If you liked a person all you had to do was hang out with them and spill the beans. It was super easy! He never made his intentions harder than they needed to be.

"Okay, how about this?" Kiba walked up to Sakura, looking her up and down in an assessing manner. Sakura felt a little worried by this, but it wasn't like one of Kiba's pervert moments. "Tell us… have you ever _killed_ anyone?"

"What the—?" Sakura backed away from him.

"Ah-ha!" Kiba pointed to her dramatically. "So that's a yes!"

"No, you idiot! I was just super surprised you'd ask something like that!" Sakura came back to get in Kiba's face as she shouted at him.

"Sure, sure… cover your tracks now, huh…" Kiba dismissed as he got back into the lineup.

"What about poisoning your rich uncle to get all his land?" Choji asked.

"What? No!"

"How about stealing food to feed your sick sister that your family has kept a secret all these years?" Kiba asked, tilting his head.

"No! I don't have a sister!"

"What about secretly being an oil baron that wants to tear down an old studio?"

"No." Sakura was beginning to get less and less shocked by their combined stupidity.

"Secretly being from Iwa in order to infiltrate our village and kill the Third Hokage?"

"What? No!" Sakura shook her head, then caught sight of something Kiba was holding behind his back. "Wait! Are you morons reading these questions off a _list_?"

Kiba looked up at her as he crossed something off his paper. "Huh? Oh yeah!" he proudly held up the list. "Me and a couple others made this a while ago. This list is called, _Why Sakura Has Pink Hair When Literally No One Else Does_!"

Kiba was on the floor nursing a giant lump on his head for that. Choji wisely tucked away his copy of the list just as Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru did the same.

Even Ino and Hinata kept theirs in their pockets after that.

"All amusement aside, this is a very serious matter." Sasuke stated with narrowed eyes.

"I guess she really doesn't have any secrets." Ino shrugged, "Makes her a really boring person, though."

Sakura was just relieved that they'd stopped pressuring her.

Now they'd never know about the gold mine buried under her house.

Her family's secret was still safe…

"So, do I get to hear any of your secrets now?" Sakura asked brightly.

The others gave her a deadpan look.

"Yeah, I figured not…" she sighed.

"It has been decided then," Naruto said as he snapped his paper fan closed. He then pointed it dramatically at Sakura. "Since you've no secret to bind your loyalty to this society, we'll simply have to use our secondary method of proving your worth."

After Naruto shared a significant look with Shikamaru, the latter rubbed the back of his neck with a grumble. "Geez, how troublesome… Wish you could have just killed someone at this point. It would have been a hell of a lot easier…"

The Nara boy walked up to Sakura at a slow pace. Her heart pounded in her chest. What did he mean by easier? And what did Naruto mean by secondary method?

Shikamaru stopped plainly in front of her. "Things are about to get a lot more troublesome…"

"Wait, what is that supposed to mean—?" Sakura asked, but Shikamaru put a hand in front of her face, and it freaked her out for a second. She could almost feel the build of chakra as it suddenly rose up from the Nara clan heir.

Then all she knew was white noise and bright light before she collapsed to the floor, unconscious.

* * *

"Shika, Kiba… Take little Miss Haruno… to the candy store…" Naruto laughed manically for a moment as the two boys nodded to his command.

"I guess we're making a day out of this… How disgraceful…" Sasuke said as he disappeared from the apartment in a blur.

"Choji and I will prepare the site for your arrival, Naruto." Hinata said softly as she and Choji vanished from their spots as well.

Naruto was going to get ready himself, but he was stopped by Ino's hand on his shoulder.

"I know we have ways of doing things and all, but… I just… Sakura… She has to join us. She has to become one of us. It's just… Sakura and me… I need to make up for… Look, a long time ago, we…" Ino seemed so unlike herself in that moment, Naruto was actually worried. Normally Ino was the cool, confident one that while rough around the edges was always so centered and focused.

Now, though… Ino seemed really unsure of herself. She was fidgeting with her haori in her arms and stumbling her words.

Naruto sighed as he turned away from her. "You know that's not for me to decide. Or you, for that matter. Only… Only the Head-Captain can decide if Sakura stays or goes… And that is only if she fails the test. Just... Just have a little faith in her. I'm sure she'll do fine."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Ino sighed, and flickered away without another word.

Naruto stayed for a little while longer. He wasn't sure why, but he could feel a change on the horizon. His gut was trying to tell him something about it, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out if it was good or bad.

Oh well, Naruto shrugged. Whatever was coming their way, he was sure they could handle it.

They were the Divisions, after all!

* * *

 **A/N: Dah, dah, dah! Another chapter bites the dust!**

 **Watch as Sakura gets put through the ringer by the crazies of the Divisions! Next time!**

 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	8. Foundation Finale, Shadow of Sakura! P2

**A/N:**

 **Chapter 8: Foundation of the Divisions, Finale! Shadow of Sakura! (Part 2 of 2)**

* * *

"Ugh… my head…" Sakura groaned, getting up from where she had been unconscious. "Where… where am I?"

Sakura looked around, but didn't even recognize the area. It was slightly rundown, but looked to have a good foundation.

And was that…

"What in the world…? When did the Uzumaki have a candy shop?" Sakura asked herself out loud.

Indeed, there was a rundown-looking candy shop in front of her with a huge sign atop it that read, Uzumaki's Shop. Next to the sign was a giant lollipop, indicating that it was a place where sweets were sold.

"Oh dear, and they told me that you wouldn't be here for another hour, or so… Oh dear, oh dear…" came a voice behind Sakura.

She leapt to her feet, getting into the standard Academy stance. The man before her didn't seem intimidated though, with his messy light blond hair and his funky green clothes. The stripped white and dark green bucket hat atop his head was equally weird.

And who the heck wore _geta_ -sandals outside of tradition anyway?

To be honest, he looked like he was related to Naruto, though his eyes were gray instead of blue.

"Hello there, little miss! My name is Kisuke Urahara, and I'm the owner of this here candy shop!" The man proudly stated with a small fan hiding the lower half of his face. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "I was told by my young friends that you'd be making a stop here for testing. Is that true?"

Sakura sighed. She might as well get this over with. "Yeah, that's why I was drugged and kidnapped to this place, I guess. So, what do I have to do?"

"All you have to do is follow me!" Kisuke exclaimed, waving his fan at her. He moved past her with such fluid motion that for a second Sakura thought he was floating on air.

The man laid her into the candy shop, which seemed just as dilapidated inside as out.

"Care for anything sweet before we start your test?" Kisuke asked lightly, but Sakura was not falling for any tricks.

"No thanks. I was taught never to accept candy from strangers." Sakura said while crossing her arms. "Let's just get this testing stuff out of the way so we can both go our separate ways."

"My, my… so eager… But for how long, I wonder?" Kisuke said to himself aloud. "Well then, I guess we'd better get started then. If you'll just take your place over by that boulder."

Sakura's eyes widened as she instantly found herself in another strange setting. When did she enter this wasteland? What the _hell_ had just happened?

"What in the world…? How did…? Did you just teleport us!?" Sakura was seriously beginning to freak out. "How in the hell did you do that without touching me, or even me being aware of it? What in the name of Yami are you, man?"

"Oh my…" Kisuke tilted his head and his hat to hide his sinister grin. "You give me too much credit. These days, I'm just a plain old candy-store owner."

"I don't believe anything you say!" Sakura shouted. "And where are we anyhow? I barely knew where that candy store was relative to the village, and now I could be half way to _Kumo no Raiton_ for all I know!"

"QUIET, PINKIE!" a roar came from out of nowhere, making Sakura jump in surprise.

A tall, muscular man with sharp features and short-length silver hair had appeared on the scene. His brown eyes were glaring at her.

"Kensei, good that you made it. The others will be arriving soon." Kisuke said as he waved stupidly to his companion.

"Are we late, then?" another voice called out as Sakura turned to see a group come walking toward them.

A blond cat leapt onto the shoulder of a man with jaw-length blond hair in a straight cut.

The other two was a timid girl with black hair in two pig-tails poked her head out shyly from behind a rather large man with a pink bowl haircut in a green suit. Sakura blanched at the sight of this guy. She was sure he was meant to be a mockery of her. She felt disgusted.

"Good, good. Everyone is here. That means we can begin in earnest, young Miss Haruno." Kisuke clapped his hands together with a smile. "Are you ready?"

Sakura leaned to one side with a hand on her hip, the stance of an annoyed woman. "I've been ready since I woke up unaware of my surroundings. Let's just get done with this nonsense."

"Right then! For your first challenge, you must go one-on-one with our little Ururu." Kisuke said as the frail-looking girl stepped forward.

Before Sakura could even object to fighting what appeared to be a seven-year-old girl, an equally small red-haired boy came out of nowhere and started harassing her. He was roughing up her hair and pushing her around. The others didn't seem to take notice of this, however, as they were moving over to a crate and talking amongst themselves.

"Dummy little Ururu!" the kid shouted, using his fist to harshly dig his knuckles into her scalp. "You can't fight! Just let me do it, you coward! We all know girls can't fight!"

"Hey you little brat!" Sakura snapped, finally having enough. She marched right up to the kid, and pushed him away from the girl. "You better leave her alone, or I'll show you just how much a girl can beat you into a bloody pulp!"

The red-headed boy glared up at her, and she glared right back.

That was, until she heard a pop and flinched back when streamers of paper fell in her face.

"Congratulations, Miss Haruno! You passed the first test!" Kisuke popped another party streamer at the pink-haired girl. "That was the Test of Justice, and you passed with flying colors. Jinta isn't actually that mean to Ururu. He was just pretending to be for the sake of seeing if you would stop him. A member of the Konoha Divisions should never let an injustice go unchallenged, no matter how small."

"You people have severe mental issues…" Sakura muttered aloud out the corner of her mouth.

"But you still have your first challenge to complete. First challenge, but actually the second test. You really must fight Ururu in a one-on-one contest of Taijutsu combat." Kisuke informed her, but still Sakura looked skeptical.

"She's just a little girl. I'm not going to fight her! I mean, has she even been to the Academy yet?" Sakura asked, gesturing over to where Ururu was putting on her light fighting gear. The child still had tears shining in her eyes from being bullied by Jinta.

"D-Don't worry, Miss Haruno… I w-wouldn't hurt you t-too badly…" with that said, Ururu bowed formally to Sakura in her cute little flower-decorated gear.

"This is utterly ridiculous!" Sakura slapped away the fight gear the huge pink-haired guy was trying to hand her. "I'm not going to fight her! She's a tiny girl, even compared to me! This is completely out of hand now, Naruto— _AIYEH_!"

Ururu came at her with a left hook that put cracks in the boulder behind her. If Sakura hadn't seen the little girl practically skipping up toward her, she would have lost her head. Instead, Sakura had ducked and ran away screaming.

"What are you running for? I thought she was just a tiny tot?" Jinta shouted after Sakura, who was still scrambling to dodge Ururu's onslaught of powerful blows.

"Screw this crap, man!" Sakura yelled, stumbling a bit as she moved over a boulder that was shattered by a karate chop from the girl in pig-tails. "This is insane! Who is this girl?"

"She's our little pride and joy!" Kisuke sang with a smile on his face.

Sakura, however, wasn't about to outdone. Ururu was monstrous strong for a little girl, but her attack patterns and speed were easily readable. What the girl lacked in speed and technique were more than made up by her strength. Sakura skidded to a stop as she turned on the girl coming at her with a furious right hook.

" _If I can just redirect her punch, I can get her in a grabble. Then I'll pinch the nerve cluster in her neck, and she'll be out like a light for a few minutes at least_." Sakura thought, watching closely as the girl got within striking distance. " _So, I'm not going to fight a little girl, but if I can take her out of the equation, it won't be a problem! CHA_!"

But in that instance, Ururu proved to be faster than Sakura had calculated, appearing within inches of her with her fist mere hairs away from impacting her face. All Sakura could do in that small span of time was look shocked beyond reason.

The pink-haired girl was even more shocked when she didn't feel that monstrous strength-packed fist impacting with her face in the next second. When she opened her fear-closed eyes, Sakura saw that Kisuke Urahara had actually caught Ururu's arm from the side as casually as Sakura might pick a flower from her mother's rose garden.

"I think that's enough, don't you, Miss Haruno?" Kisuke said with that smarmy smile on his face again.

"You people… really are… fuckin' insane…" Sakura panted, clearly out of breath.

"My, my… Miss Haruno, you have quite the mouth. What would your mother say if she heard you now?" Kisuke said as he guided Ururu away to take off her fight gear.

"So... is that it? Am I… a part of the Divisions now?" Sakura asked, finally getting her breathing and heart rate under control.

"Hmph, you've only just passed the Test of Bravery. Standing your ground is instrumental in being a member of the Divisions. Even if the opponent has ten times your power, you must stand and fight in the defense of those cannot do it themselves!" Kensei barked with applause from Jinta, the big guy in the mint green suit, and little Ururu. The blond guy with straight hair only sighed and muttered something to himself.

"Kensei is right, little Miss Haruno." The blond guy with straight hair finally spoke up, his bottom row of teeth showing with his every word. "That was only the second test. There are two more tests before you can be accepted as part of the Divisions. They are the Test of Survival and the Test of Instinct. If you can complete these two final tests, then you will officially be part of the Divisions. Think you can handle that, hm?"

Sakura sighed as she put her hair back over her shoulders. "I guess we won't know until I try. The sun hasn't moved an inch in the sky wherever we are, but I'm sure it's getting late."

"So brave and tenacious... But, I suppose we shouldn't expect anything less of Miss Haruno at this point." Kisuke said as he came forward with his fan hiding the bottom half of his face. "Let the Test of Survival begin then!"

Kisuke closed his fan and pointed it off into the distance to the side of everyone, but Sakura gasped as the ground beneath her disappeared and she fell into an abyss of darkness.

"Welcome, Miss Haruno… to the Shattered Shaft…" Kisuke's voice was ominous as Sakura dropped all the way to the bottom where there existed only a padded bed bottom, the bones of some dead guy, and a few rocks. "As you'll notice the sides of this pit are unusually smooth, so they'll be no climb out by way of walking up using your chakra. Well, if you even possess such an advantaged ability for your age."

"Get to the point, ya damn blond dummy!" Jinta stamped his foot repeatedly in annoyance. "I'm getting sick of being pint-sized over here!"

"Well, to make things short since some of us are getting anxious…" Kisuke sighed as he knelt by the edge of the trap hole, then looked down upon Sakura with the eyes of the devil. "You have three days in order to find the power within yourself to escape… or else die down there… Alone… Broken… Forgotten…"

Sakura's eyes widened beyond belief. There was no way! No way in hell! "Hey! _HEY_! You can't just do this! This isn't some test—this is crazy! This is against _the_ _law_! You guys knocked me unconscious! You guys kidnapped me to this place! You can't just leave me down here to die! Naruto! NARUTO, YOU BASTARD!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Haruno, but it's out of our hands now. Only you can save yourself from a pitiful death. Not even your classmates will be able to save you here and now. Not Naruto. Not Ino. Not Hinata or Kiba. Not Shikamaru or Choji. Not even your precious Sasuke." Kisuke said as he stood to full height. "If you want to live, then find the will within yourself to survive."

And with that said, Kisuke walked away from the edge of the pit. He disappeared from Sakura's field of vision, and her panic began to rise.

Sakura's breathing came short and fast, her heart racing. This was it. This was how she was going to die. In a strange place, at an unknown time, in a pit without anyone to care.

Her mother had to be worried sick by this point. Probably fretting in the chair by their front door.

" _Where's my little girl? Where in heaven's name is my Sakura_?" her mom would cry herself to sleep in that chair while her daughter starved to death in a pit.

Sakura felt faint on her feet. Suddenly, all her thought revolved around death. Everything else left her. She felt empty inside. Hollow. Like a shell of her normal self. With each passing thought she felt her sanity slip away from her. She kicked and screamed and clawed at the walls, but no one came to her rescue. All of a sudden, everything became all too real. This was where she was fated to die. Her father would mourn her silently, being the support, her mother would need to get over their daughter's death. There would be no body recovered, so her funeral would be a closed case with a picture of her atop it. It would be the picture she took last month as it was most recent. People would come to the service out of politeness, but none of them would have anything intimate to say about her. They would give words of encouragement and say that she was in a better place.

But she wouldn't be… she'd be bones in this pit…

"I can't… I can't die here!" Sakura screamed, screwing her eyes shut tight. "I don't wanna die here! Let me out! _LET ME OUT_! I WANT TO LIVE! _I WANT TO LIVE_!"

Sakura screamed at the top of her lungs as tears started to stream down her face.

"I'M GOING TO DIE! SOMEONE HELP ME, PLEASE! I'M GOING TO DIE HERE!" Sakura's voice bellowed, shaking the pit as she lost her mind after only a few hours. Her heart was racing. She felt like walls were closing in on her. She hated that feeling. It drove her crazy. Her father always said it was the Haruno family survival instinct. That when the tough got going, the Haruno family fought like cornered wild animals. But there was no one to fight. There was nothing to do.

"NO, NO! I REFUSE! I REFUSE TO DIE! NOT HERE! NOT NOW! DO YOU HEAR ME?!"

But there came no sounds. No voices. There was only her and her shattered mind.

There was only death ahead of her…

"I REFUSE TO DIE HERE! _**I REFUSE TO DIE**_! _**ARRGGHH**_!"

* * *

"So… how long do you think it will take her to escape the pit?" Shinji asked his cohorts.

"What was the longest any of us were down there?" Ururu tapped her chin, trying to remember.

"That would be… you," the blond cat pointed a paw at Kisuke, "You were the one who set the three-day standard. You dug your way through the ground and out of the pit. You needed to be in the hospital for a couple of days afterward because you were so close to starvation and dehydration."

"Hmm, sounds about right. To be honest, I don't even remember my time in the pit. It was all such a blur. Came damn close to losing my mind, though." Kisuke fanned himself as they all sat around a table inside the candy shop.

"That's it though. The isolation of it all is what kills you." Kensei said, wedeling a wooden toy with a combat knife. "Being down there… I thought I saw ghosts… of my family…"

"Oh, Sas—" Ururu was about to say, but the Hachi covered her mouth.

"Remember, young Miss Ururu, our true names are not spoken during the initiation process." Hachi said, but then everyone threw a look at Kiba, who had dropped his transformation.

"What?" Kiba snapped at them, "I hate being runt-sized. Why couldn't I have been Renji or Ikkaku? Hell, I wanted to be Komomura!"

"That was not what we decided, though, was it? It was decided that you play the part of Jinta for the Test of Justice!" Kensei fired back, slamming the edge of his combat knife into the table in front of Kiba. That had the dog boy going a little pale. "Be lucky that we even allow you to participate in the process! If not for the Test of Instinct being against one of us as a random opponent, then the only people who are really needed here are Kisuke and Ururu!"

"Still feel cheated, hmph…." Kiba muttered, crossing his arms.

"That pit really is something though… a twisted stroke of genius on your part, Kisuke…" Shinji complimented as he stood and went to the sliding door that separate the wasteland from the candy shop. "The Head-Captain was very generous giving us the use of the Iwa-Defense training grounds for this kinda thing. Even helped us erect this shop with this barrier seal that acts as an instant transport to the field. But the pit… a pure move of intellect to use something Ichigo needed to regain his Shinigami powers as a test of survival wit."

"Glad we improved it though." The blond cat said while swishing her tail. "The padded bottom, rocks, and bones were nice touches. No need to dig your way out when you can use what's around you to escape. The bones can be sharpened on the rocks, or the rocks to sharpen each other. The padded bottom can be cut up to use as rope. The rocks can be use as grapples to help with weight issues. It all came together very nicely I must ad—"

The blond feline, who was so busy about to finish patting itself on the back, was interrupted by a scream. The most blood-curdling scream they had ever heard, and it rang out for all to hear.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH**_!"

The group leapt to their feet as they all stared at the sliding door in fear and shock.

"Just what the hell was that?" Kensei asked as they ran for the door. Shinji slung it open, and in seconds they were all standing in the wasteland.

"It sounded like an animal." Kiba looked around, his eyes going in every direction.

"It sounded like a damn demon." Shinji gritted out as he prepared for anything.

Kisuke was the one to bring up the rear, coming to the forefront of their group calmly as he glanced around for anything at all out of place.

Then he heard it.

"Does anyone else hear that?" Kisuke asked, eyes narrowed ahead of him.

Kiba focused a bit, and became very much aware of the sound. It sent a shiver up his spine. "Is that… Is that a someone breathing? It almost sounds like a monster!"

"And its coming from…" Kensei closed his eyes to concentrate on the breathing, then snapped them open in shock. "The pit!"

"Sakura!" the blond cat gasped, then jumped forward toward where the pit was located.

But Kisuke grabbed the cat just before she could look over the edge. That was a saving grace, though, as the cat would have been crushed by a bloody hand that came over the edge of the pit and cracked the ground as it clawed its way up.

"What the devil?" Kensei asked, brown eyes wide as Sakura came over the edge like a zombie from a late-night television show.

Sakura rasped loudly like a dying animal as she crawled up and out of the pit.

But this… _thing_ … was not Sakura at all.

The whites of its eyes had turned completely black. The jade green of Sakura's eyes had turned to yellow irises that looked sickly. Its tongue lolled out of its mouth like a deprived creature who wanted a taste of human flesh. It moved with unnatural twinges and twitches, its neck snapped from one side to the other as it stared at the group.

" **WAHAHAHAHAHAHA**!" this thing bellowed in wicked laughter that shook the ground, " **FREE! FREE! FREE FROM IT ALL! FREE AT LAST! THAT FOOL DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SHE WAS DOING, BUT NOW I'M FREE AT LAST**!"

Kisuke narrowed his eyes at the Sakura-imposter. Just what in the world was this thing?

It snapped its head toward them, then licked its lips as if they appeared delicious. " **Sakura was a fool! Fearing death? Ha! She's been so afraid her whole life, but at last I'm now free**!"

Then it surprised them all by rushing toward them with a burst of speed they had no idea was coming. The group scattered, and it went after Kiba, who defended himself from its bloody clawing attacks with blocks and parries.

" **I'm going to kill you all for putting me in that pit! Then I'll thank your graves for setting me free! WAHAHAHAHAH**!" the evil creature laughed insanely as Kiba kicked it away, and into a boulder, which cracked upon impact.

"What the hell are you?" Kiba asked, heaving in breath from the sudden attack. The creature only laughed more as it closed the distance between them in the blink of an eye.

Only to be stomped into the ground by Ino, who had transformed back into her regular appearance from that of a cat.

" **What fun! Oh, what fun! What fun**!" the deranged monstrosity cackled as it picked its face up from the crater it had made. " **Oh, but can't you tell, chew toy?** _ **I AM SAKURA! WAHAHAHA**_!"

"The hell you are, you twisted spawn!" Ino spat, spinning around to deliver a kick to its face that sent it flipping back toward Shikamaru, who was just finishing up a wire trap that imprisoned the malice thing. "You're about as much Sakura as I am fat."

" **Oh, then you must be getting tubby there, chubbs, because I** _ **am**_ **Sakura Haruno**!" the creature said with the vilest smirk the group had ever seen. It struggled against the wiring, but it couldn't seem to break free. The wires were beginning to dig into its skin, creating small cuts.

By this point, all pretenses and transformations were dropped. Naruto, Sasuke, Choji, and Hinata joined the other three.

Each was fully ready for a fight.

"How did this happen? What went wrong? She was barely down there for a few hours." Naruto asked, looking more worried than fearful like his cohorts.

" **Oh, it's not really your faults. It's just all inside me! You're getting a good look at the** _ **real**_ **wild side**." The twisted version of Sakura sang, its head bobbing some as it still struggled to get free. Blood was now flowing freely from a multitude of cuts along its arms and legs that were bound in wire. " **When the tough gets going, I come out to play! WAHAHAHA! This is what it looks like to lose your mind! WAHAHAHA!** "

"What do we do?" Hinata fretted, "Should we contact the Hokage?"

"We'll have to." Shikamaru sighed. "Our top priority is Sakura's safety and wellbeing. We couldn't have possibly known something like… _this_ … would be unleashed. A medic-ninja at the hospital will be able to reverse this… _whatever_ this is. At least… that's my hope…"

" **Oh, so quick to assume! I love it!** " the anti-Sakura grinned, showing all her teeth in a creepy fashion. " **But just how will you do that, I wonder? I'm not going back! I refuse! Guess little old Sakura will just have to die here and now, then!** "

"What the—?" Sasuke's eyes widened as this twisted version of Sakura tried to rip herself apart by forcing her body against the wires. "Cut the wires! She'll bleed out!"

Shikamaru cursed as he snapped the main wire, causing all the others to drop limply.

" **Hahaha! Gotcha!** " evil Sakura cackled as she dropped to the ground, and leapt at Shikamaru. She threw blood in his face, stinging his eyes, before grabbing him by the neck. Shikamaru was just barely able to save himself by kicking her leg, making her hesitate in snapping his neck enough for Kiba and Hinata to come to his rescue.

Kiba struck Sakura in the back while Hinata hit her with Gentle Fist strike to the stomach. Sakura coughed up blood, but spun with the two attacks and drop-kicked Kiba into the ground while punching Hinata into the air.

"How is she still moving so well?" Ino asked as she rushed into the fight alongside Sasuke. The two started combating the black-eyed Sakura with standard Taijutsu, but it became increasingly apparent that this thing was not fighting like the Sakura they knew at all. "She's lost plenty of blood. She should be down for the count by now!"

"Look out!" Naruto yelled, but it was too late. Ino found herself in a grapple that had Sasuke's foot buried at her windpipe. Ino gasped and hacked as her breathing was shot to hell, right before she was thrown into Sasuke and the two were used as stepping stones for the evil Sakura to reach Naruto.

Naruto was not so easily shaken though. He stood his ground, defending himself by throwing the oncoming Sakura into a boulder when she flew at him. The wicked pinkette laughed as she pulled herself from the impression her body had made in the rock. "You are something else… _whatever_ you are… You don't move like Sakura. You don't talk like her. But I guess you have all her smarts and stuff."

Naruto's eyes narrowed, and Sakura smirked viciously at him. "And those wounds… they're healing really fast. Those cuts have stopped bleeding, and so have your fingers. I guess you just ignore pain and press onward toward whatever you set your sights on. It's like all of Sakura's body and mind got a supercharge…"

" **I don't like you very much. You talk too much, and you reek of power! Terrifying power! I cannot let you live!** _ **You must should DIE**_!" Sakura screamed, charging at Naruto with something gleaming in her hand.

"Naruto! Look out! She's got a kunai!" Kiba yelled, helping Hinata up of the ground.

"Dammit!" Sasuke cursed, feeling his kunai pouch empty of his emergency weapon. That crazy girl had stolen it from him.

"Naruto, move!" Ino shouted, seeing that Naruto had not bothered to move an inch, even as the dark Sakura raced toward him with the kunai aiming for his stomach.

"You're not Sakura… but you have Sakura's body…" Naruto said, standing rooted to the spot. His eyes were fierce with determination "We brought her into this… I can't bring myself to do what's needed for bringing you down… It would only hurt Sakura…"

" **Then all the better for me! WAHAHAHAHA**!" dark Sakura laughed manically as she aimed to gut Naruto like a fish.

A shadow leapt from behind the rocks, and the clashing of two metals rang out.

All eyes widened upon seeing a completely unknown figure with inky black hair who was protecting Naruto with the use of a _wakizashi_ short sword.

"Oh my…" the pale-skinned stranger said with extremely narrowed eyes and the grin of a Cheshire cat, "That sure was a close one, hmm. Wouldn't you agree… Capt'n?"

* * *

 **A/N: And so, the other boot has dropped. We now have Sakura and a mystery kid in the Divisions!**

 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	9. The One So-Named Sai

**Chapter 9: The One So-Named... Sai...?**

* * *

Tenten squirmed in the spot she was currently sitting. She sat traditionally at the small table, palms going a little sweaty as opposite of her sat the Third Hokage. The man was legendary, having trained the Sanin and hailed as the Ninja Professor for his knowledge of pretty much everything ninja. Tenten had no idea how she had even gotten to the point that she could have a very private meeting with the Hokage, sitting across from him the last minute or two as he appeared perfectly at ease with staying in peaceful silence for the rest of the evening.

" _He always makes me feel this way_." Tenten thought, shying away from the table a little as she looked down on it. It was shiny, and she could see her own reflection in the finely polished wood. " _Like I'm one of his grandchildren that has come over for a visit. I remember when I was in the orphanage, he would come and read to us. This man… a great and powerful shinobi… has always left me feeling like he was just a regular old grandpa_ …"

"Hmm, Tenten, are you perhaps hungry?" Hiruzen Sarutobi finally spoke, rubbing at his bearded chin in thought himself. "I find myself with an appetite, so really what I am asking is if you'd like to join me for lunch after we've wrapped things up here?"

"Oh, uh!" Tenten jumped at being directly addressed so casually. Lunch with the Hokage? That was what kids in her class dreamed about! The only kid she ever knew that had lunch with the Hokage was Naruto, and even then, it was rare. "I would love that, Lord Hokage!"

"Please, please, Tenten. You must relax." He waved at her, displaying a smile that made her think she was amusing to him, so skittish and awkward. "There is no one here but us. You may call me Sarutobi, if you like. I think Hiruzen would be a bit _too_ casual, even given how closely you'll be working under me from now on."

She didn't know what to say. Even now, in the ceremonial room of the Hokage mansion, Tenten was rendered dumb in front her village's leader. He was one of the three oldest active shinobi in the entire world, and still the most powerful. And yet, here he was inviting her to lunch with him! Tenten took a deep breath to get herself under control.

"Yes, Lord Sarutobi. Thank you for your kindness." Tenten bowed her head to the table, and Sarutobi gave an amused chuckle at how polite she was.

If only she could rub off a bit on Naruto…

"Now then," Sarutobi's eyes sharpened a bit as they were getting down to business, "I understand you have something for my personal attention. Naruto and Sasuke were very direct in making this meeting happen. I was told I'd be impressed quite a bit."

Tenten did not raise her head from the table immediately, but did so in a slow fashion to convey that she was taking everything with the fullest amount of attention. This time, when she looked up at Sarutobi, her own eyes were cast in a firm expression. Tenten's face was drawn in a cool manner as she reached under the table and presented a long black wooden box to her leader, complete with a red ribbon tied in a bow.

"Lord Hokage… No, that's not right. Lord Sarutobi, I thank you for seeing me personally." Tenten once again bowed her head, but this time it was quick and short. "On behalf of the Divisions, I, Tenten Yadomaru, present you with the fruit of my labors… The first fully created and complete… And by proxy the oldest… Zanpakutō…"

Hiruzen stroked his chin as he sat up a little straighter, staring at the box with a glimmer in his eye. He took a tentative approach to accepting this gift. He opened the box gently, then gazed upon the finely crafted sword that lay within it. This zanpakutō as she called it looked to have been made by the hands of a master swordsmith from the Land of Iron, and yet, he knew without a doubt that young Tenten had crafted the blade almost completely by herself.

" _Only a couple of years, and she has such masterful of the weapon-making arts… To think she wanted to be like Tsunade when she has such talent in this field… I am glad it did not go to waste_." Hiruzen thought to himself as he took the sheathed sword from where it rested in purple velvet inside the box.

In appearance the sword was perfectly standard. It was formed as a katana, with a dark purple handle and a circular hand guard. However, Hiruzen could feel the blade for what it truly was. This sword before him held great and terrible power, but at the same time felt so horribly empty. It puzzled him. How could a sword feel so hollow when Hiruzen could sense the greatness of it?

Perhaps he was getting a taste of its hidden potential? Hiruzen Sarutobi narrowed his eyes at the plain looking sword. It would require further study.

"Please, Lord Sarutobi… no, again that is not right. Head-Captain Hiruzen Sarutobi of the Divisions, I, Tenten Yadomaru as creator of this sword and all others that are to follow, do humbly request that you keep the zanpakutō with you, at all times. That you eat with it. Sleep with it at your bedside. That you train with it. Only then will you and it become as one." Tenten again bowed her head to the table, and this time waited for Sarutobi to reply to her.

He stared first at her, then back at the unusual sword. So, it took time for the sword's power to be unlocked? Or was it something else? For once in his life, Hiruzen Sarutobi found himself with too many theories and not enough evidence to support any of them. He would have to back through the many progress and summary reports Tenten and her father had compiled for his interest over the last two years.

In all his time as Hokage he never thought that glancing over a report instead of reading it outright would come to bite him back so badly as now. True, it wasn't a matter of security or a mission that was particularly tricky, but as far as his curious mind went, this would bug him for days to come until he cracked the enigma that was his new sword.

Ugh, this was going to be a rough week. He was so _busy_ this week that he'd never get the chance to just leisurely go through years' worth of reports to find the answers he sought.

"I thank you for this gift, Tenten. I, Hiruzen Sarutobi, shall follow your _professional_ request to the letter. This blade will leave my side only in the most troubling of emergencies. My only hope is to prove myself worthy of such a handsome gift."

Tenten lifted her head, and the smile she gave was unmistakable. Hiruzen had seen it many times throughout his years. It was one of pride and accomplishment. To have your hard work recognized by those you held in high esteem meant the world. Hiruzen was glad he could make her smile as such at him.

Perhaps he was not such a failure after all…

"Thank you so much, sir!" Tenten finally squealed, letting herself go just a bit in front the Hokage as he relaxed himself. She couldn't believe things had gone so well! There was a second there where she thought she was going to drop the box while placing it atop the table. And she had almost forgotten Naruto's only rule that she distinguish that the gift was not for the Hokage of Konoha, but the Head-Captain of the Divisions. At first, she didn't really know what Naruto had meant by that, but now she was beginning to understand. "I was really nervous about coming here all by myself when the others told me that I could finally present the creation of the Zanpakutō to you. Thank you for making me more comfortable."

"It's not a problem, Tenten. You should always feel at home with me. The village is like family to me, and so we should never be uncomfortable in each other's presence." Sarutobi smiled at her, and she smiled back just as happily. Then a perplexed look overcame his face. "Hmm, though I am curious. Where are young Naruto and the others? I thought for sure they would attend such a ceremony with importance to the growing history of our new societal organization."

Tenten shook her head. "They seemed to be a hurry when they came to me. Apparently, it was Hinata that reminded them that the ceremony was today. Something else for the Divisions came up with them, though. Something about a new member, though I could have just misheard them…"

"Hmm, a new member? That does sound like something to distract them from even this." Sarutobi placed the zanpakutō back in its glorious decorative box and picked the box up as he rose from his spot at the table. Tenten waited a second, and then rose herself to show the proper respect for her leader. "It has been years since they added a friend to their little group, the last of which had been you, yourself Tenten. Even though they are all more popular than before, their group has been seen by most as inapproachable because of how close they have grown together. No one wants to feel like the third wheel in a group that seems so tight-knit. A shame really… people don't take a risk in forming new bonds with one another… It is one of the reasons that my predecessor and old sensei, Tobirama Senju, formed the ninja of this village into teams of three after graduating the Academy. So, people would grow together and form those lasting bonds with people, even if they were unfamiliar with each other."

"That's very interesting, sir! I never knew that!" Tenten was beaming, she knew. To talk with Lord Hokage and hear the stories he could share was a rare treat for an Academy student. Sure, he came by every month and watched their classes, but he rarely spoke to them individually. Normally he just gave a lecture to the class.

"Yes, I suppose it isn't a detail taught in the Academy since prospective ninja need first pass their exams. I should make a note to the program to emphasize it more often." The guards at the door opened it like automatic when Sarutobi arrived at the door. In the hallway, he continued his conversation with Tenten, even as his guards flanked behind them in silence. "Naruto and his little friends must be initiating the new person into their ranks right now. The person must not have had a secret to share that would bind their loyalty to the group."

"I had a secret, and still had to be tested…" Tenten muttered, and Sarutobi chuckled.

"Do not feel too bad, young Tenten. They did not even ask for my secret, even though I would have shared it. I, myself, even wanted to take part in their test, but they refused me by saying that it would be unfair. Whether that meant unfair to them or myself, I am still unsure."

"Probably to them, sir. You are a very powerful ninja, after all. I don't think any of us could devise a test that would even begin to challenge you."

Sarutobi laughed, and Tenten went pink.

"I thank you for the high praises, Tenten, but you would be surprised at just how puzzled your gift has left me. I will be spending much time in the future figuring out how it works."

"Umm," Tenten started awkwardly, "it was all in the reports, sir. You did… You did read the reports from my father and me, right?"

Oh shoot! Sarutobi tipped his hat to hide his fretful eyes. He then scratched his chin, a nervous habit when he was caught in a bad situation. He would hate to let on that he had only been barely interested in what Tenten created for the Divisions before today. He would have never thought she—a Genin ninja for barely a year now-would be forging swords that could potentially rival those of the Land of Iron, or even the legendary ones of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist.

"Oh, umm, yes! Yes, I read the reports, dear sweet little Tenten! However, it has been sometime since I last got a good look at them. Yes, that's it! Please forgive this old man. My memory is not what it used to be." He tipped his Hokage hat even further down to hide his shame, but Tenten seemed to accept his excuses at face value since he was the Hokage and would have no reason to deceive her.

"It's okay, Lord Hokage, I should have never even spoken out of turn like that. You're a very busy man, so it would stand to reason that you can't recall every detail off the top of your head. Even if you didn't read a few reports in between every now and then, I'm sure you had more important details on your mind. Forgive me for being so prideful of my hard work." Tenten stopped to bow properly to the Hokage, but he was too nervous to stop in his frantic pace.

He would be taking young Tenten and the entirety of Naruto's little Divisions group with a lot more seriousness from that point onward.

"Yes, yes! All is forgiven on both sides!" Sarutobi waved her off as she and his guards caught up to him. "Now then, about lunch. How about my treat, entirely? Anywhere you want to go!"

Tenten's eyes sparkled like a dream come true. She rushed to the side of the Hokage, giving him a hug around his waist as a daughter might give to a father who presented her with a birthday gift. "Oh, thank you, Lord Hokage! Thank you so much!"

He chuckled a bit as he patted her gently on the back. "Think nothing of it. Really it is I who should be thanking you. After all, this is something of an excuse to get me away from all that dreadful paperwork waiting for me back in my office."

Tenten blinked, then looked up at the Hokage. "Umm, what did you say, sir?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing at all, little Tenten. Don't mind the ramblings of this old man! Now, on to that lunch. Lead the way!" He saved himself another embarrassment as Tenten ignored him and started growing excited for the lunch she would share with him.

Sarutobi had no idea what was wrong with him today. Maybe if he kept his mouth shut for the lunch and allowed Tenten to chat up about herself he could save himself further shame.

"Lunch, here we come!" Tenten cheered as she led the way to her favorite restaurant.

* * *

Naruto stood his ground, defending himself from the oncoming twisted version of Sakura that had crawled out of the Shattered Shaft and began attacking them all. He dodged her claw fashion swipe for his head, and countered by throwing her into a boulder.

He narrowed cerulean blue eyes as the wicked pinkette pulled herself from the impression her body had made in the stone. She was laughing once again, demented and creepy. This was not Sakura. Not her movement. Not her temperament. Not even her voice or eyes. The voice was like a demon fresh from hell. And the eyes… black pupils, amber-colored irises, and black sclera. This thing that masqueraded as Sakura was also deathly pale and had large amounts of dried blood under its nails and on its clothes where wire-thin cuts in the attire were made.

"You are something else… _whatever_ you are…" Naruto finally spoke to the apparition directly, "You don't move like Sakura. You don't talk like her. But I guess you have all her smarts and stuff."

His eyes narrowed further, and the twisted version of his classmate smirked viciously at him. "And those wounds… they're healing really fast. Those cuts have stopped bleeding, and so have your fingers. I guess you just ignore pain and press onward toward whatever you set your sights on. It's like all of Sakura's body and mind got a supercharge…"

" **I don't like you very much. You talk too much, and you reek of power! Terrifying power! I cannot let you live!** _ **You must should DIE**_!" demented-Sakura screamed, charging at Naruto with something gleaming in her hand.

"Naruto! Look out! She's got a kunai!" Kiba yelled, helping Hinata up of the ground.

"Dammit!" Sasuke cursed, feeling his kunai pouch empty of his emergency weapon. That crazy girl had stolen it from him.

"You idiot, move!" Ino shouted, seeing that Naruto had not bothered to move an inch, even as the dark Sakura raced toward him with the kunai aiming for his stomach.

"You're not Sakura… but you have Sakura's body…" Naruto said, standing rooted to the spot. His eyes were fierce with determination "We brought her into this… I can't bring myself to do what's needed for bringing you down… It would only hurt Sakura…"

" **Then all the better for me! WAHAHAHAHA**!" dark Sakura laughed manically as she aimed to gut Naruto like a fish.

A shadow leapt from behind the rocks, and the clashing of two metals rang out.

All eyes widened upon seeing a completely unknown figure with inky black hair who was protecting Naruto with the use of a _wakizashi_ short sword.

"Oh my…" the pale-skinned stranger said with extremely narrowed eyes and the grin of a Cheshire cat, "That sure was a close one, hmm. Wouldn't you agree… Capt'n?"

" **Who the hell are you**?" was all the dark Sakura could get out before she was slammed into the ground, face first with some kind of sealing tag on the back of her head.

"That's enough outta you, ugly. The Capt'n and me are talking, ja." The pale boy with practically closed eyes said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

" **What the hell… h-have you… d-done to me**?" the twisted spirit raged in a subdued fashion, trying to fight whatever the pale boy had used on her. She glared up at him—at all of them—and Naruto took notice of how the black was receding from Sakura's eyes. The amber-yellow irises were slowly, but surely turning back to a jade green color. " **Y-You pale bastard…! I'll fucking k-kill you! I refuse to be made servant to a weak princess…! I want the crown for myself! No, NO**!"

"That's right, ugly. Just go to sleep so the less ugly side of you can show its face." The pale boy grinned down at the girl as her thrashing stopped and she became still aside from the light rise and fall of her back, indicting that she was still alive.

* * *

The pale kid turned back to Naruto, and he finally saw that this stranger was wearing a shabby version of their Divisions robes, looking almost like he wore them every day for years. He kept his eyes constantly narrowed to slits, and although he appeared to be Naruto's own age, this strange boy was unusually thin and tall with very sharp features, giving him a skeletal appearance. His hair was inky black, the darkest black Naruto had ever seen, even when compared to Shikamaru's own dark black hair.

When the boy looked up at Naruto while sheathing his short sword at his side, he kept his face set in a wide mocking smile. "Well now, Capt'n, that sure was a close one. I wonder now, what should I do?"

"You shouldn't even move." Ino said as she held the forgotten kunai to the boy's throat. She stood behind him, and the others were quick to follow as they either kept an eye on him or Sakura from various spots close by.

"Uh oh, Capt'n, looks like I got caught." The pale kid threw up his hands in a mockery of surrender while grinning savagely at Naruto.

"Don't play around with us, idiot! Just who the hell are you anyway!?" Kiba barked out as he stood to the left of the boy, his bokken drawn for a fight. This time he was prepared.

"Oh my, I think I'm hurt there, Kiba-kun. How could you forget about your old buddy Sai?" the boy said, mocking Kiba with his smile as the Inuzuka bristled.

"I don't have any friends called Sai, and they damn well wouldn't be as creepy as you!"

"Well that just breaks my itty bitty heart. How cruel… I've been around since the very beginning after all…"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kiba snapped, but Sasuke threw out an arm, and stopped Kiba from advancing upon the mysterious Sai.

"He is somewhat telling the truth. I have felt his presence since joining your group. He's been watching us from afar for quite some time." Sasuke said, his eyes leveling Sai with a cool look.

"He's been following us ever since Naruto came back to the Academy from his training trip." Shikamaru revealed, narrowing his own eyes at Sai. "I was just wondering when he'd step forward to actually interact with us."

"You were there watching me train, now that you mention it." Naruto spoke calmly, "I tried to get you to join me for lunch. You disappeared after that."

"Well, there's a very simple reason for it all." Sai tilted his neck away from the kunai Ino was using. "I'm a snake. Cold of flesh and devoid of heart. My tongue flicks back and forth, ever in search of new prey, and if I like what I find, I swallow 'em whole."

"Hmph, I doubt a common peasant like you has the strength to stand against us." Sasuke said, closing his eyes to the nonsense Sai was spewing.

"Is that so? Well, we'll just have to test that little theory, Uchiha-kun!"

Sai dropped low, sweeping a leg under Ino's feet as swift as the wind. Ino, however, dodged the surprise attack and flicked the kunai in her hand toward Sai's heart. He drew his short sword in the nick of time to bat the kunai away, but it was caught by Sasuke who was already in motion to stab Sai through the neck with the weapon. Sai spun out from under Ino and skidded off to the side where he parried Sasuke's attack. The two weapons clashed against each other, sparking a few times from the effort the two warriors put behind trying to end the other.

"Hmm, quite impressive, Sasuke Uchiha. But I suppose we shouldn't expect anything less from the last noble Uchiha."

"Peasants like you should watch themselves careful, less you die for offending me with that fake smile." Sasuke spat calmly, pushing Sai back a bit.

"Oh my, how scary! But I see that you've yet to draw your sword. Where is it? I happen to know that you all have actual swords in place of those wooden play things you carry around. Why not kill me with that instead of a crappy little kunai?" Sai asked, before his grin grew wider. "Or can't you control those strange swords yet?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Sai, pushing him back to the point that Sai had to break the clash between them and retreat a few meters back, less he be injured by Sasuke.

"Do not talk so big, boy. You would need a hundred years before you became worthy of my blade. My sword is not drawn to kill paupers such as yourself." Sasuke looked down at the kunai in his hand, then made a sound of disgust. "To think that even this cheap object would be needed to end your life is beneath me. Know your place, one named Sai."

"Hmm, well, if you won't draw your sword to fight me… Perhaps the Capt'n will end my life honorably! Here I come, Capt'n!" Sai dashed toward Naruto with a burst of speed that the others weren't expecting.

" _Shit, this guy is better than he's been leading us on to believe_!" Kiba thought as he and the others gave chase. Hinata and Ino stood guard over Sakura's unconscious body.

* * *

When Sai got close enough to Naruto, he reared back his short sword for a shallow blow. Just enough to draw blood. However, what Sai had not been expecting was for Naruto to stare him down like a mountain against an ant. Sai felt small under that intense blue gaze, like the sky was falling upon his shoulders. His sword arm shook, and for a moment he was fearful of attacking the boy in front of him.

Naruto grabbed Sai's sword in his hand, not caring that it cut into his palm and caused him to bleed. He gripped it tightly, drawing Sai in close so he could stare the pale boy down so intimately that their noses were practically touching.

"Hear this, and listen well, boy." Naruto's voice was gruff and stern, like an old war general chastising a child. "Our blades are not for killing the likes of you. They were forged to end evil and defend lives in preservation of justice. The ideology around which those swords were created means that they should only be drawn as a last resort to thwart malicious souls from extinguishing the innocent. Those who draw their swords as quickly as you do are no more than butchers who senselessly slash away at the world around them. Remember this well, boy. Noble is the blade hidden from light, for in bloom is the soul that abstains it from fight. Wicked is the blade bathed in blood, for wretched is the soul whom it loves."

Sai had to admit that he was a little caught off-guard by the amount of conviction he saw in Naruto's eyes and heard in his tone. The fact that Sai could now feel Naruto's blood dripping down onto his shaking sword hand only made him stare at the blond in awe of his resolve even more.

But then there came a crushing weight upon his shoulders. Naruto was now pinning him under his gaze to keep him in place. He had let go of the sword, and was now almost towering over Sai, despite Sai being a few inches taller than him. The pale intruder collapsed to his knees, so great was the weight of Naruto's charka on him that he couldn't even stand.

" _All this power… focused entirely on me like a microscope… When did he learn to do this? It's almost in the same league as a Jonin-level ninja's Killing Intent_ …" Sai thought as he tried to use his own chakra to repel some of the effect.

It was damn near useless. Naruto held too much power, and had caught Sai too off-guard with the move. He couldn't muster enough strength to get up, never mind summoning up the chakra.

" _This is bad. I was supposed to toy with them a little and spout that nonsense, so they'd let me join their group. I never believed I'd encounter such a situation as this! His chakra is like a boulder on my back. I can feel it saturating the air. If he doesn't let up soon, it'll suffocate me. The very air itself is already growing heavy with it. I won't be able to breath such chakra-enriched air in a few moments. It'll be like I'm drowning on dry land_ …"

And all Naruto Uzumaki was doing was standing there, looking at him. Starring directly into Sai's now wide eyes which showcased how inky black his irises were. That unnaturally stern expression in his eyes made Sai feel like a scolded child.

" _I'm s-sorry, Lord Danzo… I have f-failed you_ …" were Sai's final thoughts before he completely gave up on his own life.

And in that same moment, he felt the enormous heft of Naruto's chakra disappear while two sets of arms hauled him to his feet and kept him prisoner. On either side of Sai were Kiba and Choji, both who were sweating slightly from having entered the field of Naruto's power before it was entirely gone.

" _He has too much power right now. It is beyond that of any ninja short of Lord Danzo and the Third Hokage… and still… I can sense that this is only a fraction of his true might. How frightening of you, Naruto Uzumaki_ …" Sai thought as Naruto sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"Take him into custody and lock him away in the abandoned district. We shall deal with him tomorrow, after we've gotten Sakura the medical and mental attention she needs." Naruto said, and everyone nodded. Hinata and Ino disappeared with Sakura carried between them. Shikamaru and Sasuke disappeared in the next second, probably to bring the Hokage up to speed on what had occurred.

"Wait." Sai said as he felt Kiba and Choji about to use their high-speed technique to vanish from the spot. He bowed his head forward as much as the tight grip of his two captors would allow. Fighting them and escaping would be counterproductive to Lord Danzo's plans. He was meant to join their group, not fight them. Plus… he was now very interested in Naruto Uzumaki. A boy with so much power, and yet he didn't kill Sai when everything a ninja was taught was to kill the enemy if they weren't specifically commanded to be captured. So why the mercy? That was what Sai wanted to find out. "Once again, Captain Naruto Uzumaki, my name is Sai. I really do wish to join your ranks as a member of the Divisions. I saw this as my chance to introduce myself. Though this attempt turned out badly, please allow me a second chance. I believe I would be fit to portray the character of Gin Ichimaru, if you will allow me."

"Hmm, understood." Naruto nodded firmly only once. "Take him away!"

"Yes, sir!" Kiba and Choji chorused before vanishing a in blur with Sai between them.

* * *

 **A/N: And so, Sai has now made his presence known in the open. What is his purpose for joining the Divisions? And why does he specifically choose the character of Gin Ichimaru?**

 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


	10. Stabilizing the Foundation

**A/N: I have confused myself, but _no more._ Despite what may have been written, at this point in the story, there is still six months before their graduating exams. I think in a chapter before this I mistakenly said it was one month, but that was not in my plans. The timeframe is six months.**

 **Chapter 10: Stabilizing the Foundation**

* * *

Late in the night, when the village was still and all who could find peace in their homes slept easily, a lone shadow slinked through the Uchiha clan's abandoned district. This was where only the ghosts and shades of the slaughtered Uchiha family still roamed, but now moved something among the living.

Sasuke Uchiha sat in his home, up late that night as he went through various scrolls in order to better prepare himself for the training he would put himself through the next day. He was certainly surprised when a knock came at his front door.

But this was different from that which clung to the shadows and wanted to avoid all attention.

It moved through the district, completely unaware that the lone survivor of the Uchiha clan was awake and greeting a guest into his home. This was fine, though. It wanted nothing of Sasuke Uchiha at the moment.

No. It moved to the police force department where, in an abandoned cell, sat its target.

The door to the cell creaked open slowly, bringing light in through the growing space where a metal sheet door had once kept darkness inside.

Sai sat in complete silence as that intruder stepped into the faint moonlight.

It was an old man. One who appeared injured and calculating.

His lone eye was brown, sharp with wisdom and experiences that were not for the faint of heart.

"Hmph… they certainly left you in a better condition than I would have at their age… Pitiful really. Hiruzen's foolishness has made their generation weak with resolve. As prospective ninja, they should have beaten you and gotten all the information they could out of you. Instead, they simply let you to rot in this cell. It would have been a waste, but still they hadn't even bothered to try… Pathetic…" Danzo said, mostly to himself as Sai sat before him with a wide smile.

A fake smile.

"That's not the full picture though, hm. They also left me this nice juice and a few apples." Sai brought attention to the small plate of refreshment that was beside his cell's bed. It was curious to him, but Danzo scowled at it harshly.

"They are even worse than I thought, then… Hiruzen has truly made the village weak." Danzo turned his back to Sai and the plate of food, but Sai was still staring at it. His smile having dropped as soon as Danzo turned from him.

It was rather curious that they showed him such kindness. They had given him food and drink, something Sai found very unusual. Everything he had been taught by Lord Danzo said that they should have left him to starve for days on end if he did not cooperate with their initial interrogation.

But there came no interrogation. No starvation. Nothing except the plate of apples and juice.

Why though? Weren't they training to become ninja? Were they not supposed to be harsh and unforgiving to spies and infiltrators?

All of this was out of deft for Sai. He simply did not understand this. The reasoning behind it. The logic of any of it.

Sai's grin returned. How interesting of them, he thought. Naruto and his little group were certainly something new that Sai had not expected and was quickly growing all the more curious about as time ticked by him.

"Hmm, this was a failure. A small one, but still a failed mission. You must disappear from their senses and memories now, never to be seen again." Danzo said as he began to hobble toward the exit. "I am most concerned with that Uzumaki boy's power. His weakness aside, he is growing too powerful too quickly if he could stun a shinobi of your level with simply the weight of his chakra. Though from what your ink clone scroll informed me, he caught you off-guard. You disappoint me, Sai. You will need more training. Shock and surprise are unbecoming of shinobi. I will have a few operatives beat this weakness out of you."

"Of course, Lord Danzo." Sai grinned, because it was nothing new. Nothing out of the ordinary for their faction of ninja. Just same old, same old…

Nothing at all like Naruto and his group of… _Divisions_ , as they called themselves. Sai's smile faltered a little.

This bored him. Ordinary bored him. He wanted the unusual.

"But, if I may, Lord Danzo." Sai spoke up, raising his head to Danzo, who must have been expecting Sai to say something because he was already turned around to watch Sai critically. "The mission has yet to fail. They have yet to reject me. It is possible that I can still infiltrate their group of friends. From there I will continue to observe their little play group as they grow stronger, gain Captain Uzumaki's trust, and eliminate him and the others if the time should ever come. After all, it would seem that kindness is their weakness. One that I do not share."

This answer seemed to please Danzo as he made gruff chuckle at the back of his throat. The old war hawk turned back around toward the doorway and began walking away from Sai. "I am not worried. The Roots of Konoha shall forever remain strong. Sarutobi's loose reign over Uzumaki is nothing more than shortsighted dribble that will become ruin in the future. If you should succeed in your mission to join them, which you _will_ , you are to do what you can to make them more in line with our ideals. Understood?"

He made no mention of how Sai was referring to the Uzumaki boy as Captain. He didn't care. So long as Sai remembered who his true superior was in the end. He left Sai in the cell while wondering what the future had in store for the Uzumaki boy.

The jailer of _that_ power.

* * *

Later that same night, Shikamaru and Choji enjoyed their stay together in Shikamaru's room as they conversed about the day's events.

"Hard to believe we got two members for the price of one." Choji said, munching on a bag of chips even so late in the night.

Shikamaru only grumbled about it. "What a drag… at this point, I'm not even sure which one is worse. Sakura has some kind of Hollow-like entity inside of her… and that Sai guy wants to be Gin Ichimaru, a person known for being a traitor to Soul Society even if he was secretly helping them."

"You don't trust him?" Choji asked, giving Shikamaru a look.

Shikamaru shot a deadpan look back at the chunky boy. "And you do?"

Choji smiled with a shrug as the bag of chips crinkled in his hand. "You got me there. We hardly know anything about him other than his name being Sai and his interest in joining the Divisions. He's been watching us for such a long time and even knew about the creation of our Zanpakutō. He's certainly proven himself a wily character. Heh, heh. Just like I always imagined of Gin Ichimaru!"

"Yeah, and that's what bothers me about him appearing now instead of before or later." Shikamaru crossed his arms as he sat atop his bed. Choji had grabbed the spare futon and was more than accustomed to sharing the room with him. "Do you think he knows about the other stuff, too?"

Choji gained a thoughtful look, but then sighed. "We've no reason to doubt that he might. We weren't exactly being secretive about the swords, but we weren't advertising them to the village either. The other stuff… we were more careful to keep concealed… There is always a chance that he might know about one or two things. In fact, he might know about it all as if he were with us from the very beginning. However, until he tips his hand of information, we must keep our own close to chest. Never let him know more than we know for sure that he knows."

"Geez," Shikamaru chuckled, shoulders relaxing a little, "you spend way too much time around me being serious and all… You are slowly, but surely turning into another member of the Nara clan."

"The same could be said about you becoming an Akimichi." Choji smiled, "Here. Want some chips?"

"Eh, sure. Why not. I can eat."

And the two shared snacks and laughs late into the night.

* * *

Elsewhere in the night, Sasuke was surprised and a little startled to find Kiba Inuzuka knocking at his front door.

"Inuzuka, to what do I owe the disturbance at this hour?" Sasuke asked, though allowed Kiba into his home without further complaint, "There has not been an emergency, has there? Last I heard, Sakura Haruno was recovering well in the village's hospital with us able to see her come the morning."

Kiba waved it all aside. "No, no. There is no emergency, and Sakura is just fine. I came here because… Well, it's a little embarrassing to say… I don't exactly know how to come out to you about this… The words I wanna use escape me… Geez, this is going worse than I ever thought…!"

Sasuke gave Kiba a deadpan look. "Inuzuka, I understand that we all received quite the panic because of Haruno's Hollow attacking us. And that you may feel that the next skirmish we encounter would be more perilous. _However_ … if you are here to confess your love for me, then you will sadly be disappointed that I return no such affection for the male gender."

"WH-WHAT THE FUCK, SASUKE?!" Kiba screamed, horror written across his face as he stared in shock at the last Uchiha. "DUDE! NOT GAY, NOT GAY, NOT GAY! KIBA INUZUKA _DOES_ _NOT_ SWING THAT WAY!"

"Of course, you would make such a scene after rejection. Do not worry yourself, though. I will pretend this never happened to the others. Though Naruto will probably figure it out. He suspected you had feelings for me."

"WHAT? WHAT THE HELL? NARUTO, THAT BASTARD! I DON'T LIKE YOU, JACKASS! NARUTO WAS PROBABLY TROOLIN' YA, DUMBASS!"

"Of course. If that is the way you want to continue, I will play along."

Kiba looked to be at the edge of his sanity, and Sasuke was taking great pleasure in it. Serves him right for coming to the Uchiha's home in the middle of the night as if they had not spent to entire day together earlier. Whatever Kiba had to say to him should have been said then, and not right as Sasuke was finally dragging his tired ass to bed.

"I don't like… I'm not gay… Look, I came over here because I want to be your _subordinate_ , not your _lover_!"

"So, you are into submissive role play… That I did not need to know…"

"I WILL SERIOUSLY KILL YOU, UCHIHA!" Kiba grabbed Sasuke by the collar of his robes and yelled in his face.

Sasuke smirked as he got in one final jab. "I refuse to kiss you, Inuzuka. No matter how you try to take advantage of my exhausted state."

Kiba quickly let go of Sasuke and hopped back as if attacked. His face was burning bright red, and he was stuttering and shaking his head.

Finally, Kiba took a deep breath and regained control of himself. This was ridiculous. He had played right into Sasuke's little amusement. He should have known Sasuke was goofing on him from the very beginning.

"Look," Kiba bowed at the waist, "I thank you for the noble welcome into your home. I apologize for coming here at this late hour to bother you. I only hope to express my desire to learn to be more like you."

Sasuke's smirk dropped from his face as he considered Kiba for a moment. "You wish to become my student? That seems foolish."

"Not your student, no." Kiba shook his head, "I want to be your Lieutenant. Your second. You are Sasuke Uchiha. Even before you joined us you had this air about you that screamed how untouchable you were."

Sasuke remembered that air around him. That dark cloud that had hung over him until he had friends and comrades like Naruto, Ino, and the others. "I am deeply ashamed of that period in my life. Never again mention it."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. But now though you have this noble refinement that everyone sees in you. It says to others that you are not to be approached with anything that wastes your time. That is what I want to learn by sticking closer to you as your Lieutenant. Look dude, I don't know much of anything about being nobility even though I am a major clan heir like you and Hinata."

Sasuke gave Kiba a very chilling look filled to the brim with haughty pride. "Do not ever again in life lump those of the mighty Uchiha into the same category of common rabble nobles like the Hyuga or the Inuzuka."

Kiba pointed at Sasuke, grinning wolfishly as he did. "See! That's exactly it! That is what I want to learn! That comment alone shows how you can express your nobility and convey your pride in the Uchiha clan without resorting to fist-fights like I do most of the time. I'll never be gentle and graceful like Hinata, or as nonchalant about things like Shikamaru and Choji. People talk shit about my clan, and it pisses me off! I want to stand out and do my clan proud!"

Kiba then crossed his arms, a grimace flashing across his face. "The Inuzuka clan have always been looked at in mixed regard for as long as I can remember. Thanks to our ninja dog companions and roguish appearances, people think we're a bunch of brutes with nothing better to do than beat rocks together or fight. We have brain _and_ brawn, dammit! We are teachers and vets and healers and rescue workers. We pull our weight around the village, but don't get half the respect of the other clans! It pisses me off to no end!"

Sasuke again considered Kiba, regarding him now with an unreadable expression. Then he stepped passed Kiba, barely brushing shoulders with the Inuzuka heir as he moved toward his bedroom.

"I will admit that I was once one who gave no thought to the Inuzuka outside of their animal affinity, but you have struck a chord with me tonight. Fine, I will grant your request to act as my adjutant. However, do not take this position lightly. I am strong, and my second must be strong as well. The weak will be cast aside. I am not like Naruto or Hinata. I do not suffer fools or weakness."

Kiba grinned again, throwing Sasuke a thumbs-up. "You won't regret it, Captain! I will not let you down! Take notes because I, Kiba Inuzuka, from this point onward swear to one day surpass you in terms of power, skill, and charm. You can count on that!"

Sasuke was cold as ever in his retort. "The day will never come for you."

* * *

"Watch closely, Sakura-san." Hinata said as both of her hands began to give off a gentle green glow. Sakura's eyes widened as she sat up straighter in her hospital bed. "This is medical ninjutsu at its initial state. It is a simple jutsu for me to perform, given that training the Byakugan is far more difficult and I have been doing that since I could walk."

Sakura said nothing as she continued to stare in awe at the green glow of Hinata's hand. Hinata was her first visitor of the new day aside from her parents, who were greatly worried about her, but had been put at ease when the Third Hokage himself had come to inform them that Sakura was succeeding in her training and had just had a little accident.

Honestly, Sakura didn't remember very much about the whole day apart from her joining the Divisions. It was all blur of things that made no sense, but luckily Hinata had explained to her that she was now a part of their group of friends and that Sasuke would be coming by to see her later with the others.

"It is the manipulation of one's own, or the patient's body for the purpose of healing. Even in this practice form, it requires very advanced control of one's own chakra. To make it practical and effective, you'll need extensive knowledge and study in subjects like herbs, medicines, the human body and even poisons."

"That is… it's simply incredible, Hinata!" Sakura said, though she was a little disappointed when Hinata stopped her medical ninjutsu and the green glow disappeared faster than one could blink. Hinata even appeared winded after the display, the midnight-haired girl was breathing fast as if she had just run a mile.

"It is, but it is still very far from being used for any duration of time. I can only use it for small cuts and wounds at the moment. I'm still a while off from healing anything bigger than training bruises. The reason I'm showing _you_ this is because aside from myself, you have the best chakra control. In fact, because you possess such a small pool of chakra, you have perfect control over it from your training at the Academy."

Hinata was smiling at her, but Sakura felt like she had just been backhanded by those words. "Small chakra… I sound so inferior…"

"Oh, don't worry, Sakura-san." Hinata giggled, lightly laying a hand on her shoulder. "Your chakra capacity will increase with time and training. From what your parents said and Iruka-sensei's observations, you don't really train much outside of what we do at school. That is going to change now that you're a part of the Divisions. We'll be really tough on you, but while you're perfectly under control of your chakra, teaching you to use medical ninjutsu as your first skill will help you catch up to us in no time at all."

"Oh really? That sounds amazing! Thank you, Hinata!" Sakura smiled brightly up at her.

Hinata might have neglected to mention that teaching Sakura to heal as her first skill mostly meant that she would be healing herself through their rigorous training as they brought her to the brink of collapse. They only had six months to cram into her all the skills and strength of the Divisions that had taken them three years to perfect to their current level.

Oh well, Hinata was confident that Sakura would be fine. Well… mostly…

And hey, if she got hurt, it was just the universe's karma from all the times she had hurt Hinata's Naruto-kun…

"No need to thank me, Sakura-san. After all, we're part of a team now." Hinata smiled, a little sharper than she meant too. Though Sakura didn't seem to notice at all.

Hinata reached into her sleeves and retrieved a scroll that was bordered with light green and tied with a red cord. "I will help you study this scroll for the day. You have very high grades in memory recall and Iruka-sensei praises your ability to put theory into practice. Please, show me your skill."

"I will do my best…" Sakura mumbled as she took the scroll and began reading through it.

* * *

It wasn't until around noon that a knock came at the door to Sakura's hospital room.

"I hope you ladies are decent. I'd hate to stumble upon some kind of life-long fantasy." Naruto's voice floated into the room, even as he came in without waiting for any kind of response. Hinata blushed, but Sakura watched him enter with annoyance clear in her expression.

"Naruto, you idiot! Don't talk like a pervert around us!" Sakura berated him, but then winced as while she shook her fist at him wildly, she felt her muscles ache in protest.

Whatever training she had done with Hinata and the others had put a real strain on her body. Sakura only hoped that when she was released from the hospital that her mother had a nice, warm bath waiting for her at home.

"Well now, seems you're as lively as ever, Miss Haruno. That's good! You're really going to need that high spirit for all the training you'll be put through." Naruto smiled, taking out his small paper fan as he fanned himself lightly. "I can tell by the scroll in front of you that Hinata has taken the initiative in introducing you to the first part of your training, which is becoming proficient enough in medical ninjutsu to heal minor injuries."

"Yeah, Hinata is really great at helping me understand the things I don't get. We're actually done with the scroll after this last bit." Sakura relaxed herself, knowing that getting annoyed by Naruto's cheap antics would only hurt her more than him in her current condition.

"Then please, don't let my presence distract you. If I can be of any assistance, simply let me know." Naruto said as he sat in the chair in the corner of the room closest to the hospital bed.

Sakura was still so surprised by Naruto's personality. He was still immature and annoying, but there were now times over the last few years where he became calm and could easily get along with anyone. He would help out around the Academy if someone needed a training part, or if anyone needed a bit of life advice. Naruto was even given charge of discipline at the Academy for a few months earlier in the year, which was shocking to many when he became a success at it. The irony of the whole situation was lost on none. Still though, Naruto for the most part was cocky and playful, whipping out that paper fan when he wanted to be silly or making weird comments from the manga series he and his friends read, but no one else did.

"Okay then, we've been over the theoretical part, and we're finally at the last of it. Then you'll just have to practice the technique until you've got it right. I'll help you with that as much as I can, but don't feel too bad if you don't get it for at least a few weeks. It's an incredibly difficult change in chakra that is not easy for anyone." Hinata said as she unraveled the scroll to its last part.

"The last part of our study is this: The Mystical Palm Technique, or more commonly known simply as the Healing Jutsu." Hinata began as she settled at Sakura's bedside. "This is the practical application of medical ninjutsu that I showed you earlier. It is medical ninjutsu which allows the user to speed up the body's natural healing process by sending chakra from the hands into a wound or afflicted body part. This allows the user to heal a patient without the need for medical equipment or surgery, making it very useful on the battlefield. It can be used to treat both external and internal injuries. However, as I said earlier, it is vital to have perfect chakra control before even attempting this. You _must_ match the amount of chakra used to the severity of the affliction or injury. Because of this high level of difficulty in chakra control only a fair few highly skilled medics can use the technique, and even fewer become medical ninja to use it in missions and battles. Only a couple ninja aside from the legendary Tsunade Senju are able to heal grievous injuries and can use the ability at a short distance away from the target instead of through direct contact."

"So, it's possible to send the chakra from a distance… That sounds near impossible." Sakura commented, and Hinata had to agree.

"But people have done it. Which means that we must stride to exceed their example." Hinata said with conviction. Sakura had to stare at the girl. While she was still timid and shy, Hinata had come a long way from the girl she was a few years ago. Now she was comfortable enough to speak to people above a whisper and even took part in class instead of trying to shrink down and remain unseen.

"If the technique is performed with too little power, it won't heal the patient properly, healing the injury too slowly in the best of cases. However, if it is done with too much power, there is the likely chance that by sending an excess amount of chakra into the patient's body, the user will overload the patient's normal circulation of chakra within the body, trapping the now-victim in a comatose state."

"I guess that can be used for if I'm forced to treat an enemy, or if I get held hostage, huh?" Sakura looked up again at Hinata, who nodded.

"Yeah, I never thought of it that way, but you'll need to prove to us that you can properly execute the technique before we let you anywhere near a person with it."

"What will I practice on then?" Sakura asked.

"You'll be practicing alongside me and Choji on fish fresh from water, sealed within scrolls." Hinata answered, getting a shocked look out of the pink-haired girl.

"Ch-Choji? You mean even he can use medical ninjutsu?" Sakura was surprised to say the least. "I never really saw him as the healing type."

"He's not. In fact, he's barely able to control the jutsu because he still lacks the proper chakra control. But he's a lot better with it than Sasuke and Naruto."

"Hey! Not in front of Sakura, dattebayo!" Naruto shouted from his chair, making Hinata giggle while she blushed.

"Those two overload the jutsu… and, well… its not a pretty sight, is all I should say."

"Why I never…" Naruto muttered while crossing his arms and putting his nose in the air, making Hinata giggle again and even Sakura smiled a little at his antics.

The Hyuga girl turned back to the patient. "Nevertheless, it is a very hands-on healing method, so you'll need supplementary material to properly use it. That you'll be studying in your free time in order to catch up. I have faith that you'll make us all proud." Hinata smiled gently at Sakura, who felt that she was underserving of the girl's belief.

" _Not even in their gang for a day and already they believe in me… How can they be so confident I'll succeed in any of this_ …" Sakura thought to herself, looking down at the scroll in her lap. " _No, I can't let the down. Especially my Sasuke-kun! And Hinata is so nice and sweet, I'd feel bad to disappoint her. I have to get the hang of this stuff right away_!"

"And I guess that's all for the scroll." Hinata turned to Naruto, "Is there anything I'm missing from the explanation, Captain?"

"No, you did well, Hinata." Naruto said as he got up from the chair to stand beside the bed, opposite of Hinata's side with his back to the window. "Though there are a few things I'd like to point out as supplementary information that might help a book-smart person like yourself, Sakura-san."

For some reason, him using her name so formally made Sakura feel hurt. " _He's so cordial to me now… like he doesn't even want to know me anymore_ …"

"There are three forms to the healing technique that you'll come to find out, so please practice each of them as much as you can. We'll get you texts and scrolls on them later today, but for now just try to keep what I'm about to say in mind." Naruto started off, closing his paper fan as he pointed it directly between Sakura's eyes. "The first form is the support technique, the basic Healing jutsu itself in the green form that healings wounds ad injuries. This is strangely enough the most difficult of the three forms even though it is the most basic. This is because the other derived jutsu use less chakra control and more of the user's own ability with medical ninjutsu as a whole."

"Okay, so what are the other two?"

"So eager still, Sakura-san." Naruto opened the fan and hide his chuckle behind it. "Calm down, I was getting to that. The second form is the offensive form. It is short and simple. The technique is named the Chakra Scalpel and performs just as that. It is a small sharp blade made entirely of the user's own chakra to make highly accurate incisions necessary for surgeries and anatomical dissections. Unlike regular scalpels, the chakra scalpel can make cuts inside the body without creating an actual open wound, limiting the risks of an infection. Though it requires less than perfect chakra control, it does have a much higher degree of precision needed to be effective. Because of this requirement, using the chakra scalpel offensively is highly unusual, especially since one of the main rules for a medical ninja is never to participate in direct combat. Not to mention that in heated combat, even the greatest medics won't be able to exert the precision needed to make fatal cuts."

"But it can still be used like a scalpel, though, and cuts through anything it touches. Meaning it could still be effective enough to slice through muscle tissues and tendons, rendering the target immobile." Sakura said, putting the things she had just read to theory.

Naruto grinned at her like a massive beast taking in the sight of its prey while Hinata looked stunned.

"Ino was right about you, Miss Haruno. You truly _will_ make a great addition to our Divisions." Naruto said like a mad scientist who had found a golden goose. Sakura gulped.

"Your theoretical knowledge and deductive reasoning skill is astonishing, Sakura-san! I would have never thought of that idea so quickly!" Hinata praised, making Sakura blush.

"I'm just book smart, though. I'd probably have a very hard time putting theory to practice." Sakura admitted, but Naruto's grin only seemed to grow wider at that.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head, Sakura-san. That's why you'll be training with the Divisions from now on. By the time exams are upon us, you'll not even recognize how weak you once were in comparison." The blond said, once again closing the fan with a snap as he tapped it along his shoulder a few times. Again, Sakura gulped. Naruto had that crazed researcher look again.

"Now then, I believe I should tell you the last form of the Mystical Palm technique that can be used. This is the defensive form of the jutsu, called Puzzling Operation jutsu. It is used to disable an opponent by inserting your chakra into the nervous system of the opponent at the very start of your battle. As the body is controlled with electrical signals from the brain through the nerves, the user of this technique cuts off those electrical signals. The enemy becomes unable to make their body move as they want."

"There is also the ability to take it a step further through changing the nature of one's chakra to give it the properties of electricity, creating an electric field." Hinata put in, making Naruto smile at her as he pocketed his paper fan.

"Yes, Hinata, that is right. This takes the move to a whole other level by disturbing those signals in the body and deranging them. It is appropriately named the Body Derangement technique and works by using the lightning chakra in the hand, as soon as a strike of the hand lands, to pour electricity into the enemy's nervous system. This will severe the signals and wreck the enemy's body control. The target's body moves in any way, except how they want it to move. For the common man, battle, not to mention even just walking, will become impossible afterward, allowing the medical ninja to assassinate the target or flee from the battle all together."

"Healing, severing, and disrupting… the abilities of a medical shinobi are so diverse and amazing…" Sakura said, more to herself than either of the two in front of her.

"True, but it takes years to become a top-rate medic-ninja." Naruto smirked, "However, because you possess so little chakra and have perfect control over it, your training will be much easier than anyone else who could even hope to be a medic. You start now, and you'll have the Mystical Palm technique down by the end of the month. In two months, it will be perfected, and then we can move on to helping you learn the other two forms of medic-ninja power."

Naruto looked like he wanted to say more, but then something shot through the open window of Sakura's hospital room. Naruto didn't even turn to it as he put a hand beside his head and caught whatever had been aimed at the jugular vein of his neck. Hinata gasped, but Naruto only smirked wider. He turned toward where he had been sitting earlier.

"Ino, Ino, Ino… you have to get up pretty early in the morning to hit me with a kunai that slow." Naruto bragged, spinning the knife on his index finger.

Sakura gasped as in front her eyes the chair began to flicker as if not really there, and Ino appeared sitting in it with an annoyed expression.

"Damn, thought I had you that time with your attention on Sakura and Hinata. Oh well, if at first you don't succeed…" Ino smiled thinly, giving off an ominous cackle like a scheming witch.

" _S-She…! She just tried to murder him! And he's not only okay with it, but he's joking about it_!" Sakura gaped at the two as they bantered back and forth. Naruto even had to catch another kunai that came from the window again.

"Who do you have throwing these for you this time?" Naruto asked, snagging yet another kunai from the window before it could even enter the hospital.

"I promised Moegi some training time if she helped me with this. Her throwing speed is a little slow, but that's why I had hoped you were properly distracted." Ino sighed, lounging now in the chair as casually as a queen atop a throne. "You can stop now, Moegi! He's not dead!"

"Aww, will you still teach me the Byakurai technique?" the voice of a very young girl came through the window. A second later, Sakura was shocked as a little girl sat in the windowsill as if it were natural.

"Of course, you little cutie! We'll plot Naruto's death another time. Right now, my attention is needed here." Ino chirped happily, to which the girl Sakura could only assume was Moegi cheered and disappeared from the window.

"Nice to know you motive people by trying to kill me… Really says a lot about our friendship…" Naruto deadpanned with a shake of his head.

"While at least I'm teaching others like you asked. I mean, I still think it's dumb for us to be spreading our techniques to other people, but at least those kids joined the Divisions under the Head-Captain. And I can't bribe Moegi with candy or comics like I do with the other two kids she hangs out with." Ino pouted, making Naruto chuckle before he turned back to Sakura.

Naruto reached inside those black robes of his, pass his white haori, in order to find something. Then he pulled out a scroll that was bordered blue with a green ribbon tying it close.

"One last thing Sakura-san before we let you take it easy for the rest of the day." Naruto said as he untied the scroll and unraveled it to reveal a summoning seal. "This contains the fish that you'll be practicing on once you get the technique down path. We made it very simple, just in case you were unfamiliar with summoning scrolls. All you need to do is put a bit of chakra into the center seal, and the object inside will be summoned. In this case, the object is a fish that will live for about five minutes if you can't keep it alive using your medical ninjutsu. So, in other words, one of Kami's poor helpless creatures will have its life in your hands. So be sure when you unseal it, ne."

Ino smacked him upside the head, and Hinata seemed to approve. "You moron, don't go putting it like she's some kind of murderer! Its only a fish! Maybe we should let her practice on you instead, you poor helpless jackass!"

"Ow! That hurt! Hinata, help! Ino is being mean to me!" Naruto poked at his fellow blonde while whining to the Hyuga princess.

"I'm sorry Captain, but you deserve it this time for trying to make Sakura-san feel bad." Hinata said without hesitation, a tiny frown on her face. "We're trying to encourage her, not get in cheap shots at her resolve to further herself and help the Divisions."

"Man… these guys are so weird…" Sakura grimaced as Naruto began to fake tears, saying that everyone was ganging up against him. Hinata and Ino ignored him though. " _How is it that Sasuke-kun could be part of this group of misfit weirdoes? Even Ino has become something kind a parody of herself_ …"

"Glad to see your so deep in thought there, Forehead." Ino said, standing over Sakura where Naruto had been. Naruto was now in the chair, his crocodile tears gone as he sat with his hands on his knees. "This scroll is yours to use, however the ink on it is real, so you'll only be able to seal small things and animals into it. Sorry if you wanted to use it for a survival pack, but that won't work."

"Oh, that's not a problem. Thanks anyway." Sakura said, especially because she knew next to nothing about sealing and summoning. All she knew was what the Academy taught them about the two fields of shinobi arts, and that basically extended to recognizing explosive tags and that summoning was what powerful ninja used in order to have help in battle.

"Yeah, well, if you ever need a survival pack scroll or some paper bombs, just let us know. Naruto's gotten pretty good with the Sealing Arts, so we'll just make him do it for free instead of going to a weapon supply shop." Ino went on as she sat herself at the edge of the bed casually. "Though as a member of the Divisions, you have to buy all your weapons and supplies from the Yadomaru family shop from now on. The daughter of the blacksmith is one of our members. She's a little strange, keeps calling herself Senpai, but its all cool so long as you don't make any crazy requests from her. She takes _every_ _one_ _of_ _them_ seriously."

"Oh… Umm… okay…" Sakura honestly didn't know how to respond. She was also a little thrown off by how casual Ino was being with her. Just the other day Sakura had been arguing with her about being Sasuke's true love.

Then again, Sakura honestly could not recall the last time Ino had even argued back with her. It was always a cool comment here, an offhand observation there. Ino would talk circles around the subject of Sasuke, but only now did Sakura realize that Ino had not declared love for Sasuke since that day Naruto had come back to the Academy and beat Sasuke with sheer stupidity as his weapon.

"Sakura-san, are you feeling alright?" Hinata was now looking at her with some concern. "Shall I call a nurse for you?"

"No, no! I'm fine! Really!" Sakura waved her hands, but the flinched as her muscles ached. "A little pain, but I'm okay. I mean it. I was just in my own head, is all."

"Well, take it easy on that inward concentration while we're here." Naruto said, sitting up a little at her words. "Not sure we would be a hindrance or help in subduing you again what with that inner Hol— _Hmn hmn hhnnm_!"

Ino had covered his mouth with an annoyed expression, glaring at her fellow blond. "You idiot! Don't bring that up! The less she knows and remembers about all that, _the_ _better_! I'd hate to fight _that_ _thing_ again!"

All Naruto could do was nod, and Sakura was utterly confused as to what they were talking about. Fight what thing?

Ugh, they were _so_ _weird_ …

"Well, I was asking if you feel well enough to attempt the healing technique we went over. You might not get it right the first time, but it will give us a clue as to help you when we really start your training. The hand seals for the jutsu are: Ox and Tiger. Aside from those, you can do whatever hand seals help you to concentrate your chakra." Hinata said while Naruto and Ino stopped glaring at each other to direct their attention back to Sakura.

Now all of them were crowding her bed.

"Umm, s-sure, I can do it. Why not, right?" Sakura chuckled nervously, but the others seemed very confident and at ease.

"The ratio of chakra is about four-to-five, with four being parts spiritual energy while five is physical energy. Then you channel it to your hands, centering the chakra in your palms." Naruto said, sounding strangely serious for a demonstration of practice. His blue eyes were also very sharp. Sakura took notice that all of them had become serious.

"B-But that's an imbalance of chakra." Sakura said, but the other three just looked at each other.

"Yes, but this isn't an Academy-level jutsu. It can be learned by an Academy student, but it is much more advanced to put it to healing work." Naruto said, looking at her a little confused.

"Sakura…" Ino said, staring right at her and into her eyes, "You do know that most techniques beyond the Academy use chakra in proportion, right? Like, the jutsu we learn there that use a perfect balance of chakra is only to help us feel the chakra and how to properly mold it to our will. Have you never studied further into Yin or Yang properties than what they told us at the Academy?"

"Umm… W-Well… I was going to, okay!" Sakura defended herself, making the others falter.

"You mean to tell me that you didn't train outside of the Academy and didn't even bother to read anything outside the Academy texts?" Ino looked like she was caught between angry and dizzy. "And people thought you were my rival all these years… I thought you were my rival… _How_ …?"

"Man, oh man, you were so gonna die out there if we hadn't got a hold of you, Sakura-san." Naruto said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "At least I trained outside the classes. I could take a punch and throw one just as well as anyone. I might not have the book stuff down, but I'm scrappy and unpredictable."

"Sakura-san, I will help you as much as I can." Hinata said, though she was gazing at Sakura now as though the girl were a fragile object. The pale-eyed girl looked afraid to even touch Sakura.

Sakura could only sigh. She went from smart to stupid in the eyes of all three of them in sixty seconds flat. Even Naruto, who apparently knew more about healing and sealing before Sakura had known, and then still even more.

"So, that ratio was four against five, right?" Sakura said, and then concentrated on her chakra.

"Yes, this is because you'll be focusing on healing physical wounds rather than restoring chakra. That we'll teach you once you've got the healing technique down. The Chakra Restoration technique is a Divisions' only ability. Now then—WHOA!"

The gasps that went out around her were like music to her ears. If there was one talent Sakura truly did have, it was perfect control of her chakra at will. Small or not, no one else in all the school could boast the same. The gentle green glow coming off her hand was soothing, and this new version of chakra left her skin tingling in a manner similar to dressing in freshly laundered clothes.

"Oh my…" Hinata placed a hand over her heart while she gaped like a fish.

"But that's _impossible_! No one can get it on the first try! It's too advanced!" Ino gasped, her eyes wide with shock and awe.

"Interesting, Miss Haruno… Very interesting indeed…" Naruto muttered, cerulean blue eyes locked onto Sakura's hands.

But just as quickly as that calming sensation and tingling came to her, not even thirty seconds later found Sakura feeling winded and weak. The strain this jutsu had put on her was unreal. The only time she had ever felt so drained was back when she first joined the Academy and was made to learn the three integral techniques: Replacement, Clone Body, and Transformation. Her lungs couldn't fill with air fast enough, and her hands which had just been consumed in a healing aura were now shaking like leaves in the wind.

"Interesting for sure, Miss Haruno. You possess so little chakra that while you can perform the jutsu at will and without hand seals, you can't maintain it for any extended period of time. Well, that makes things all the easier on our part, though. You'll just be training so hard for the half year that you'll gain the strength needed for those healing powers to work."

A knock came to the door of her room, and Sakura pleaded for it to be her parents with the way Naruto and Ino were going on and on about the rigorous fitness they were going to put the hospitalized pinkette through.

For once in her life, Sakura was not happy to see Sasuke. Well, not as happy as she normally would have been. And that decreased even further when he joined the conversation with talk of weights and time tables and finding out her chakra nature. She was embarrassed to say that she had no idea what her chakra nature was in front of Sasuke, who looked at her with a curl of his lip that made her heart break a little.

Then Kiba Inuzuka walked in looking all the more smug before Ino bopped him on the head. Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi waited out in the hallway, saying the room was looking a little too crowded, but they still chimed in on the conversation when their input was needed.

Finally, after being subjected to their looks and near condescending conversation, Sakura's parents were guided into her room by a nurse that let them all know she was free to go with an order of bed rest for the next couple of days. Naruto made to argue but was tied in white bandages by the nurse who dragged him away, saying that his hand was still to be looked at after whatever happened in Sakura's joining the Divisions. The others made farewells as they greeted Sakura's parents and then made excuses to leave. Ino went through the window, which worried Sakura's mom. Hinata and Sasuke disappeared from the room in blurs, which startled her dad. Shikamaru and Choji walked away in normal fashion, which disappointed Sakura who thought they might be just as weird or impressive as the others. She had actually thought they would meld into the floor or something. The pink-haired girl was disappointed when the Nara and Akimichi clan heirs simply walked down the hallway and left casually.

Sakura was super thankful though when instead of scolding her or even bringing up the incident that had left her hospitalized, her parents hugged her tight. They said they were so proud of her for making friends and joining a study group as they thought it was called. Then they walked her home, and Sakura's smile grew three sizes as she sank into a warm bath while her dad and mom made her a plate of cookies with a bowl of ice cream to help her relax.

Sakura dearly loved her parents.

* * *

 **A/N: And now Sakura has officially joined the band of nutcases that is the Divisions. She better get a good therapist for all the insanity they'll put her through.**

 **So? What do you think? Love it? Hate it? Want to skewer it with your Zanpakuto?**

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 **Until Next Time, See Ya!**


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